Small plane lands safely with wheels up

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2004 | 8:33 a.m.

A single-engine airplane made a successful emergency landing at the North Las Vegas Airport around 11:45 a.m. Monday after its landing gear would not come down, Clark County Aviation Department spokeswoman Elaine Sanchez said.

The pilot, who was practicing takeoffs and landings at the airport, was alone in the plane and was not injured, Sanchez said.

There was no fire or fuel spilled during the belly landing of the Cessna P210N.

The National Transportation Safety Bureau is investigating the incident, she said.

Sanchez did not know the name of the pilot.

According to Federal Aviation Administration records the plane is owned by a Las Vegas company, Largo Enterprises Inc.

Nevada secretary of state records show Largo Enterprises is headed by Lawrence Grippo. Attempts to contact Largo Enterprises and Grippo on Monday were unsuccessful.

This was the fifth accident of the year for aircraft that left or were landing at the North Las Vegas Airport, according to National Transportation Safety Board records.

The accidents included a helicopter rolling over when landing on Sept. 5, injuring the student pilot and instructor; an airplane that overran the runway on May 27; a blimp colliding with a nearby building during takeoff on May 22; and an airplane with two people on board that went missing on Feb. 16 after leaving the airport.