STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. — Fire and rescue crews in Stafford County spent their evening Friday looking for an aircraft reported to be in distress.
At 10:15 p.m., about 45 minutes after the call went out, search was referred to as a “wild goose” chase.
“This is what we call a ‘good intention’ call,” said Stafford County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Bart Lace.
A neighbor called 911 and reported seeing small plane that appeared to be on fire drop below the horizon. The plane was actually in the process of completing a touch-and-go landing — where an aircraft lands on the runway but doesn’t come to a complete stop.
Fire officials suspect the plane’s on board lights could have given the appearance to the 911 caller that the plane was on fire.
The pilot had already cleared the area by the time rescue crews called off the search. A search of three area airports was completed by fire and rescue officials searching for a possible downed plane Friday night — at Stafford Regional Airport, Shannon Airport in Fredericksburg, and Dogwood Airport, a small landing and takeoff strip in Stafford County along U.S. 1.
Friday night’s false alarm comes after a small plane crashed in Stafford County earlier this year on St. Patrick’s Day, near Stafford Regional Airport. Though their plane was left mangled, the occupants suffered only minor injuries.
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