Published in The Watauga Democrat Oct. 27, 2009

A pilot experiencing mechanical difficulty made an emergency landing at the Boone (North Carolina) airport off Bamboo Road Monday evening.

According to Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman, the pilot, Stanley L. White, 37, of Baxley,, contacted air traffic control in Atlanta, to notify them of a problem at 8:00 p.m. The 1974 Piper single-engine plane had lost all lights and some instruments, though not related to airspeed and altitude.

Telecommunicators of the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) were able to make contact with the pilot.

Boone Fire Department (BFD) Capt. Jimmy Isaacs coordinated with the pilot via cell phone communication through the county dispatch center to arrange the landing at the Boone airport. The Boone airport is not equipped with runway lights.

The BFD and WCSO used three fire trucks and two patrol cars to illuminate the runway and guide the plane to a safe landing.

The effort was coordinated within 15 minutes, Hagaman said.

Watauga Rescue and Watauga Medics were on stand-by at the airport. The pilot made a three-point landing without a problem and was taken to a local hotel by Hagaman.

The plane was repaired and the pilot took off to continue to Atlanta Tuesday morning. The plane is registered to South Georgia Earthquake Inc., a construction company in Baxley.