No one was injured when a small aircraft was forced to make an unplanned landing in the South Prairie area on Thursday.

According to East Pierce Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief of Operations John McDonald, the pilot lost power in his experimental aircraft at approximately 1,100 feet and had to look around for a “soft place to land.”

The pilot brought the plane down in an uncut hay field along South Prairie Road in the unincorporated areas between Bonney Lake and Buckley.

As the pilot brought it down, McDonald said the plane got caught in the hay, causing it to tip over.

The pilot escaped with minor injuries and there was no fire. There was minor damage to the plane.

McDonald said East Pierce Firefighters helped the pilot, identified in other media outlets as Kenneth Overbey, 77, right his aircraft and then provided a courtesy transport back to Enumclaw so the pilot could get his vehicle.

McDonald said East Pierce does not have specific training for plane crashes, but treated the incident like any vehicle accident, securing the scene and assisting the pilot.

“It’s something we respond to, although it’s infrequent,” he said.