BAKER CITY, Ore — A pilot and passenger both walked away without injuries after making an emergency landing in an eastern Oregon field Thursday afternoon.
According to the Baker County Sheriff's Office, dispatchers were notified that the small, single-engine airplane was experiencing engine failure and attempting to land.
The passenger told dispatchers that the plane had lost an engine and was headed for a straight stretch on Highway 7.
Authorities say pilot Tom Van Diepen felt a vibration in the engine and turned to perform a forced landing. He landed the plane in a field adjacent to the highway.
While taxiing across the field, the plane went into an irrigation ditch.
Both the pilot and passenger were able to exit the plane safely, and neither man was injured.