Golfer Dodges Skidding Arrow After Forced Landing

There were no injuries but it will be awhile before the practice green at Haggins Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, California, is back in play after a Piper Arrow made a forced landing on the course. The pilot reported an engine failure on takeoff from Sacramento McClellan Airport on Sunday at about 700 feet. He tried to get back to the runway but ended up on the golf course. It landed on a fairway before crossing a road and the practice green and coming to rest against the pro shop. It missed a golfer on the edge of the green by about 50 feet.

The pilot suffered a cut to his hand and walked away from the crash. The plane is a write-off, and there are large gouges in the turf where the plane slewed sideways before the gear collapsed. The aircraft was a 1977 Turbo Arrow III with registration N135DG. It's registered to a company in Reno, Nevada.