Plane Makes Emergency Landing at Geauga County Airport; No Injuries Reported (w/ Video)
A small aircraft made an emergency landing at the Geauga County Airport Thursday after the pilot reported landing gear failure on approach, triggering a multi-agency response that officials said was well-coordinated and effective.
A small aircraft made a “gear-up” landing at the Geauga County Airport Thursday after the pilot reported landing gear failure on approach, triggering a multi-agency response that officials said was well-coordinated and effective.
The incident occurred at 12:24 p.m. The pilot alerted first responders while still airborne, allowing emergency personnel from multiple departments to be staged and ready before the plane touched down, according to a May 14 press release from the Geauga County Commissioners’ Office.
The aircraft was able to make a normal approach, landing without landing gear in the grass adjacent to the runway, according to a press release shared on the Middlefield Village Fire Department’s Facebook page.
Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Scott Schweinfurth said the aircraft was a Cessna 320 Skyknight and the pilot, who he did not name, is based at the airport.
The emergency landing was captured and shared on NE Ohio Criminal Activity’s Facebook page.
No injuries were reported and authorities said there was no significant damage to the aircraft, no damage to airport infrastructure and no fuel leak.
Airport Manager Ric Blamer called the incident a “gear-up landing” that resulted in very little damage to the plane.
“It was a mechanical problem. We’ll fix it and it’ll fly again,” he said just after 4 p.m. as the plane was being moved out of the runway area.
The Geauga County Airport, located at 15421 Old State Road in Middlefield, remained closed Thursday afternoon as crews worked to resolve the incident and clear debris from the airfield.
The OSHP is leading the investigation, as is standard procedure for aviation emergencies in Ohio. First responders from the Middlefield, Troy, Windsor and Mesopotamia fire departments, along with the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, Geauga County Emergency Management Agency and the Middlefield Village Police Department were all on scene as the aircraft made its approach.
Response efforts were coordinated by the Middlefield Fire Department, which has extensive familiarity with aviation incidents at the airport. The department has responded to multiple aircraft emergencies at Geauga County Airport in recent years, including a January 2023 crash landing involving a federal prisoner transport plane and a 2022 emergency landing by a Cessna 310R in a nearby farm field.
Geauga County Emergency Management Director Austin Rice praised the readiness of first responders.
“Fortunately, this is not a major incident,” Rice said. “Response groups were alerted of the landing gear failure when the plane was inbound and were ready when it landed. Everything went as well as it could have.”
The Geauga County Airport is a public-use facility owned and operated by Geauga County since 1968. It serves as the area base for University Hospitals’ AirMed 1 medical helicopter and is home to The Cleveland Soaring Society and Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 5.
Additional information is expected to be released by Geauga County EMA and the Geauga County Board of Commissioners as the investigation continues.
