Student pilot runs out of gas and plane ends up in crop of soybeans, NC rescuers say

A 23-year-old student pilot ran out of gas over a remote corner of North Carolina, resulting in the plane going down in a vast crop of soybeans, according to the Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Management.

It happened around 7 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, in Camden County, about 180 miles northeast of Raleigh. The pilot and instructor were taken to a hospital, rescuers said in a news release.

“A Piper Cherokee Archer II aircraft departed New York for a training flight to Elizabeth City, NC, with an approximate 3 hour flight time,” officials reported.

“Approximately 3 hours into the flight and in the area of south Camden County, the aircraft ran out of fuel, forcing the aircraft’s crew to make an emergency landing in a soybean field.”

The flight instructor, 23-year-old Alyssa Simeon, of New York, took the controls and made the landing, officials said. The student pilot was identified as Oh Honggyun of Flushing, New York, officials said.

“The two occupants of the aircraft only received minor injuries but were transported to Sentara/Albemarle hospital for observation,” officials said. “The aircraft ... only looked to have minimal damage to the landing gear.”

Investigators say it is unclear when the plane will be removed from the field.

This story was originally published August 11, 2023 at 5:08 AM.