RAYMOND — A pilot made an emergency landing at the Willapa Harbor Airport on Thursday, Oct. 3, after experiencing engine trouble.

The Pacific County 911 Dispatch Center (PacCom) received a report at 12:10 p.m. that a plane was experiencing distress.

“We got a call transferred from Tillamook 911,” PacCom Interim Director Cait Ochoa said. “The reporting party said he had a military crew flying around and [the pilot] got in contact with them saying they were making an emergency landing from engine failure.”

The first concern was that the plane might have gone down near a neighborhood or into the Willapa River.

According to radio traffic, a Pacific County Sheriff’s Office unit responded to the area and began a ground search. The deputy located the plane, which had successfully landed at the airport.

The pilot reported that he was traveling from Twin Oaks Airport in Hillsboro, Oregon, to Bowerman Field in Hoquiam. He began losing engine power over Pacific County and quickly lost elevation.

Air traffic control (ATC) wanted the pilot to divert to the Ilwaco or Astoria airports.

“All I could see was trees and water,” the pilot said.

The pilot was able to regain engine power and gain altitude. He decided not to try to make it to Bowerman and chose to land at the safest airport.

He realized he could make it to the Willapa Harbor Airport, which provided more room for him to land in case the situation further deteriorated.

“I’m sorry I caused so much trouble,” the pilot said.

Emergency management agencies in Pacific County regularly conduct drills and are amply equipped for major responses, including a downed aircraft.

Within minutes of the distress call, responders were already dropping a boat into the Willapa River in case a water rescue was needed.

“All’s well that ends well,” Pacific County Emergency Management Agency Director Scott McDougall said. When he got word that the pilot was safely on the ground, he was already headed out of the Pacific County Public Safety Building to assist.

According to the pilot, the plane was a rental from the Twin Oaks Airport. The rental company is sending a plane to pick him up.

Craig Murray, an operations manager for the Pacific County PUD, is a licensed airplane mechanic and will be taking a look at the plane — he happens to have a hangar at the airport.