A small plane coming from North Carolina made an emergency landing on the Bacon Park Golf Course in Savannah, Georgia. Thursday evening, but the course was back open on Friday.
According to flightlog data, the privately-owned plane departed from the Wallace-Pender Airport in Wallace, North Carolina, at 6:43 p.m. on Thursday.
The course, which is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary, was designed by Donald Ross in 1926 and remains Savannah’s only municipal golf course. The course is owned by the city of Savannah and managed by OC Welch Golf Properties. Since 2014, Bacon Park has been restored to Donald Ross’ original design.
But during its flight, Chuck Kearns, CEO of Chatham Emergency Services, said the plane declared an emergency and was trying to make it to the Hunter Army Airfield. The plane had to switch paths and landed on the golf course.
The aircraft deployed a parachute after losing power around 8 p.m.
EMS arrived within three minutes of getting a call from the nearby Army airfield. Kearns said the two passengers told EMS that they were not injured, and refused to be transported to the hospital.
An employee of the golf course told the Savannah Morning News Friday morning the plane landed on the first hole’s fairway on the Legends Course — a 9-hole course that is not currently open for public use.
As of 9 a.m. Friday morning, the small plane remained where it landed and Savannah Police Department officers remained on the scene. The employee said no one was at the course during the time of the emergency landing.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration data, the plane is a four-passenger, fixed-wing single-engine aircraft registered to a company named Rijan Reality Holdings Inc. A business entity search showed it is owned by Richard Brennan of Pennsylvania.
More details will be added as information is made available.
Ansley Franco is a reporter with the Savannah Morning News, covering public safety and general assignments. You can reach her at AFranco@gannett.com.
