An airplane, which took off from the Statesboro Airport Friday afternoon, soon developed problems when the electrical system went out about 10 minutes into the flight.
The airplane returned to Statesboro, but the landing gear would not deploy. After circling the airport for about 45 minutes to burn off fuel, the plane was able to manually deploy landing gear and make a safe landing, according to Corey Kemp, Bulloch County Emergency Management Director. There were some tense moments prior to the landing, and multiple emergency responders were on the scene at the airport to initiate rescue efforts, had they become necessary.
Sheriff Noel Brown, who was at the scene, stated, "There were a lot of people here today waiting to help however they could, but the Lord was here, too, and we are thankful to him for the safety of the folks on the airplane."
According to Kemp, the following agencies were either on scene, en route, or otherwise assisted with the emergency: Statesboro Fire Department, Bulloch County Emergency Medical Service, Bulloch County Sheriff's Office, Air Evac 95, LifeStar, Bulloch County, Chatham County, and Georgia Emergency Management Agencies, Statesboro Airport staff, Bulloch County Correctional Institute staff, Bulloch County Public Works, Savannah Fire, and the Savannah Airport.
"There were four souls on board the airplane," according to Kemp. "Two pilots and two passengers." Family members of the passengers were present at the airport after having gotten notification of the situation. They were reunited with their family members on the tarmac of the airport as soon as the twin engine King Air came to a halt.
Those on the plane declined to be interviewed, but are no doubt thankful for the outpouring of support demonstrated by the agencies which rushed to offer assistance.