Jul. 12—A pilot of a twin-engine plane was forced to make an emergency landing in a soybean field in rural Christian County Sunday morning.

A distress call came out at 11:50 a.m. about a plane in trouble, said Taylorville police chief Dwayne Wheeler.

The pilot of the Piper PA-31 Navajo landed in a field at 1025 East Road and 1450 North Road, halfway between Langleyville and Taylorville, Wheeler said.

The pilot of the plane was the lone occupant and did not sustain any injuries. The plane was bound for Manitoba.

Christian County sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp said that the pilot's landing gear was down, but the pilot was getting a signal that it "wasn't locked."

There was some damage to the field, Kettelkamp said. A deputy told Kettelkamp that it took the pilot 200 to 300 yards to stop the plane.

The plane was upright, Kettelkamp confirmed. There were no immediate reports of damage to the plane.

An officer with the Mid-America Sport Parachute Club said the pilot maintained contact with a pilot on the ground. Members of club were at the Taylorville Municipal Airport Sunday.

Kettelkamp said the pilot had planned to refuel at the Taylorville airport.

Kettelkamp confirmed that officials from the Federal Aviation Administration were on the scene.

The Navajo was manufactured from 1967 to 1984.

This story will be updated.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, [email protected], twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

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