Experimental Plane Makes Emergency Landing at Guilford Fairgrounds

A plane made an emergency landing at the Guilford Fairgrounds on Monday afternoon.

The pilot built the plane, a Murphy Renegade experimental aircraft.

Police said no one was injured during the emergency landing around 4 p.m. at the fairgrounds on Lovers Lane in Guilford.

The plane left from Tweed-New Haven Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

"I just looked over and he hit the wires and then nose-dived," a witness, Karen Rosenthal, said.

Rosenthal said she rushed to the plane, avoiding the downed power lines. She reports the pilot got out himself and was walking around, a little sore and shaken.

After a hard landing, the pilot called his wife. 

The pilot was identified as Roderick Bradley, of Guilford, his wife Pat told NBC Connecticut. 

"I was coming back from the grocery store. He said he had a bit of a problem. He’s always very low-key," Pat Bradley said.

She said Bradley retired after a long career as a commercial pilot and built the aircraft himself. 

"He’s going to fly (again). It’s his passion," Pat Bradley said about her husband.

On Monday night, Bradley returned to the fairgrounds and dismantled his plane with some help from others.

In 2004, Bradley's plane was involved in a crash in Stow, Massachusetts, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) website. Two people had no injuries in that crash.

The plane took down some power lines by the fairgrounds, according to Eversource. Crews responded to restore power to more than a dozen customers.

FAA said they will investigate. 

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