Pilot of small plane escapes injury in McClellan airport emergency landing

A light plane forced to make an emergency landing Friday at McClellan airport in North Highlands touched down safely, said Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District officials.

No one was hurt in the incident just after noon, said Metro Fire Capt. Mark Nunez, in a statement.

An El Dorado Hills man piloting a Piper Cherokee Arrow was conducting touch-and-go exercises at the airport when the plane’s landing gear failed to engage about 12:23 p.m., Nunez said. The malfunction forced the pilot to slide the plane to a stop on its belly in a controlled landing.

The emergency landing caused minor damage to the aircraft and resulted in a brief disruption to airport operations while the runway was cleared, Nunez said.

Operations at the airfield near North Highlands has resumed.

This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 1:45 PM.

Darrell Smith

The Sacramento Bee

916-321-1040

Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.