emergency plane landing

Photo courtesy of LBFD.

A man flying a small aircraft made an emergency landing at the Long Beach Airport after losing electrical power Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

The 31-year-old pilot, who was the only occupant of the twin engine plane, was unable to communicate with the airport tower and was unsuccessful in activating the manual release lever to put the landing gear down, according to Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) spokesman Jake Heflin.

The man was able to land the plane uninjured via a soft belly landing. The aircraft’s underside and both propellers sustained damage. No fuel was spilled.

LBFD responded to the incident at 2:12PM, Heflin said.

Authorities did not say what airport the pilot departed from or where he was headed.

Stephanie Rivera is the community engagement editor. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @StephRivera88.