SANFORD — A pilot who said he forgot to put his landing gear down damaged his plane but was not hurt at Sanford Regional Airport this morning.

Airport manager Dana Parry said the plane landed at about 9:20 a.m. after flying in from Biddeford. The propeller bent and the plane slid a few hundred feet down the runway before sliding off the runway, he said.

“The pilot said he simply forgot, as part of his prelanding checklist, to put his gear down,” Parry said. The pilot asked that his name not be released and Parry said he was complying with that request.

The airport closed immediately after the landing, Parry said, and reopened shortly before 11 a.m. after crews were able to get the plane up on dollies and roll it into a hangar, where an insurance adjuster is expected to look at it later today.

The plane, which is owned by the pilot, is a single-engine Cessna, Parry said. He said the cost of repairs is hard to estimate, but will probably exceed $10,000, especially if the engine has to be removed to look for damage.

 


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