Pilot pulls emergency landing

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, March 26, 2008

DEMOPOLIS &8212; A Mobile pilot was not injured after an emergency landing outside Demopolis Tuesday afternoon.

James Bendall, of Mobile, lost all power on his 1964 Cessna 172F about three miles north of the Demopolis Airport, public safety director Jeff Manuel said.

Officials from the Meridian, Miss., Airport contacted the Demopolis Police, reporting the possibility of a downed aircraft in the area.

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The pilot was able to fight through the mechanical failures and make an emergency landing in a field near South Maria Ave., Manuel said.

The plane was not damaged in the incident. Rescue vehicles were not summoned to the scene of the emergency landing.

Meridian airport personnel lost contact with Bendall when the plane was still north of U.S. Highway 80 – as they were giving him directions to the Demopolis airport.

Sawyer said there is no indication of what made the plane&8217;s equipment malfunction. The plane is still on-site in the pasture.