Rye Neck students who were using the athletic facilities north of the middle and high school campus in Mamaroneck had an unexpected disruption last week, after an area pilot was forced to make an emergency helicopter landing in the middle of the grounds.
“No one was in imminent danger, but it was just startling,” Rye Neck Union Free Schools Superintendent Michael Burke told The Record.
A pilot, whose identity has not been released, was mid-flight from New Jersey to Long Island on May 26 when his aircraft sustained issues with its transmission fluid, according to officials. Required to land as soon as possible, the pilot touched down on the campus athletic fields around 4:30 p.m. last Tuesday.
At the time of the incident, the Rye Neck tennis squad was warming up for a match. The softball and track teams were also out practicing on the fields.
Burke said he was in his office when his athletic director called to tell him there was a low-hanging helicopter hovering over the grounds.
“It was crazy,” Burke said. “My reaction was: Is someone injured?”
Officials paused the tennis match, and the other teams practicing halted play as well – moving to the perimeter of the grounds so the pilot could touch down safely.
“He noticed the athletes practicing and saw that there was an area … that he could potentially land,” Burke said. “He landed safely, and he got out and was fine.”
Rye Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy confirmed the incident was “not an accident,” but “strictly a controlled landing.” He said the pilot was the sole occupant of the helicopter, and the emergency landing yielded zero injuries.
Rye Neck officials resumed the tennis match after the incident, while the helicopter was still in the middle of the field, according to Burke.
A few hours after the landing, the pilot and aircraft were transported to the Westchester County Airport, according to Kopy. The pilot got his helicopter fixed and took off again later the same evening.
