Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing On Golf Course In Bellport

BELLPORT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - A small plane made an emergency landing on a golf course in Bellport Monday morning.

Only the pilot was aboard the plane when it landed at the Bellport Country Club around 6:15 a.m. Monday.

The golf course was closed at the time.

The pilot told MacArthur Airport he was experiencing engine failure, according to Suffolk County Police.

Bellport Deputy Mayor Joseph Gagliano spoke with the pilot.

"He saw the golf course and he felt that he had just enough time, and he did actually make it just in time, and he was very calm about it afterward because at that point the plane was already secure on the ground," Gagliano told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall.

The plane clipped a tree during landing, causing some damage to the right wing of the 1973 Cessna 172M.

"[The pilot] was just 'I'm OK, everything is good," Bellport Assistant Fire Chief Kieran Murphy told Hall.

It's the second time a plane landed on the course. In 2001, a similar incident took place, again with no injuries.