Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, October 30, 1994                   TAG: 9410310079
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Short

PLANE LANDS SAFELY AT TECH

"He had radioed [to Tech from] over at Elkins, West Virginia, stating he was putting his landing gear down," said David Spry, who was working at the airport Saturday.

But the pilot discovered that only two of his small plane's three gears were working properly. The pilot wanted to return to the Blacksburg field.

"He overflew the field three times so we could see if the gear was down and locked," Spry said.

On the pilot's third or fourth pass - Spry wasn't sure which - observers on the ground could see that the third piece of landing gear was properly in place for a safe landing.

Although fire and rescue crews were called, "the only thing that arrived before he landed was the first aid crew," said Lt. Harry Freer of the Virginia Tech police.

Officials would not release the name of the pilot, who was not on university business.