Pilot makes wheels-up landing on road near Madras

A Portland-area pilot who flew to Madras to take in the Airshow of the Cascades on Saturday had some unintended aerial excitement of his own when his engine quit shortly after takeoff, forcing a wheels-up landing on a road north of Madras, Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins said.

The 55-year-old Sandy resident was at the controls of a single-engine plane and had just taken off from the Madras Airport when the engine went out, forcing the landing on Northwest Elm Lane, about seven miles north of Madras, Adkins said.

Deputies, Jefferson County Fire and EMS and airport personnel responded to the scene, the sheriff said.

With the use of a helpful farmer’s haying equipment, the plane was lifted so the landing gear could be lowered and the plane towed back to the airport.

The pilot was not hurt, the sheriff added.