A flying instructor and student were forced to make an emergency landing in a clearing in Aroostook County when the small airplane’s engine cut out on Wednesday, state police said.
Instructor Cody Anderson, 26, of Levant, and student Leigh Smith, 35, of Presque Isle, called 911 and told the Houlton Regional Communications Center that he had just put down a Piper Cherokee 180 on the land off Sullivan Road in Township 17 Range 3 due to engine failure shortly before 1 p.m., according to state police.
The plane had front-end damage. Both men were taken to a hospital in Fort Kent for injuries that were not considered life-threatening, state police said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident, state police said.
St. John Valley Times/ Fiddlehead Focus writer Jessica Potila contributed to this report.