Icing forces plane to make emergency landing

Icing caused a small plane headed for Menominee, Mich., to make an emergency landing Thursday afternoon at the Oconto airport. The pilot of the twin-engine Beechcraft reported the emergency at 3:30 p.m. to air traffic controllers at Austin Straubel Airport in Green Bay. Due to rainy and snowy conditions, the pilot had difficulty locating the runway at the Oconto-J. Douglas Bake Municipal Airport, according to Oconto Fire Chief Jack Mlnarik. The Oconto County Highway Department plowed the runway minutes before the plane landed. The plane came down hard on its landing gear, breaking the gear and causing the plane to skid off the runway on its belly. The Fire Department applied foam to the aircraft’s engines to prevent a fire. Three passengers suffered minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital, but the pilot and co-pilot were uninjured, said Eileen Duffeck, airport manager. Federal Aviation Administration officials met with the pilot, co-pilot and members of the Oconto County Sheriff’s Department on Friday. A salvage crew hauled away the badly damaged plane on Saturday. The six-passenger plane departed from Rochester, Minn. The individuals on board were believed to be from Michigan, but local officials could not confirm this.