Pilot makes emergency landing at Hickory, NC, airport during Helene supply runs
A pilot made an emergency landing at Hickory’s airport Wednesday afternoon, shortly after Ivanka Trump visited the airport to deliver Hurricane Helene disaster relief supplies.
Pilot Jordan Seth Faught, 41, of Lenoir, escaped injury after his single-engine Cessna experienced a mechanical failure as he returned from flying supplies to storm-damaged Avery County in the North Carolina mountains, State Highway Patrol Trooper Christopher Casey said in a statement.
Faught made the emergency landing on the airport runway at about 12:45 p.m., Casey said.
Troopers secured the scene, and the FAA will investigate the cause of the failure, Casey said.
Trump, daughter of former president Donald Trump, flew to the Hickory airport earlier Wednesday to deliver 300 Starlinks to be flown to western North Carolina. The devices will help Helene flood victims connect to high-speed internet.
This is a developing story that may be updated.
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 2:43 PM.