ALPINE, Arkansas — The pilot of a small aircraft walked away apparently unscathed from a forced landing in rural Clark County on the morning of Tuesday, April 2.

The pilot, from Heber Springs, was en route to Tyler, Texas, flying a 1966 Mooney single-engine fixed wing aircraft when there was an “instant influx of carbon monoxide” into the plane’s cabin that made him feel dizzy, Sheriff Jason Watson confirmed.

The 50-year-old pilot advised air traffic controllers in Memphis that he was maneuvering a forced landing; at that time, Watson said, the pilot shut the engine down to land in a grassy field adjacent to Fendley Road, less than 1/4 mile from its junction with state Highway 8 at Alpine.

The pilot approached the field from the north, apparently maneuvering below a power line to make the landing. In the moments before touching down, however, the aircraft clipped several limbs of a tree, sending it in for a rough landing that, upon impact, folded the engine compartment into the cabin’s exterior. The pilot reportedly was able to escape the wreckage from the cabin door.

Lt. Russell Ursery of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said the pilot relayed to him that the landing would have been uneventful had it not been for the brush up against the tree limbs.

First responders were dispatched to the scene after a 911 call at 10:58 a.m. The sheriff said the pilot was checked by paramedics at the scene and that he was OK. He was transported by ambulance to Baptist Health Medical Center for further examination. Paramedics had taken the pilot just minutes prior to arkadelphian.com‘s arrival at the scene.

A plane crash is a rare event for the otherwise quiet community of Alpine, which is 5 miles southeast of the town of Amity (population: 681). Randy Palmer, who lives nearby, said he heard the crash from inside his home that sits secluded in a wooded area about 100 yards from the scene. Palmer said he heard a “loud boom” that shook his home. Curious about the noise, he wandered toward Fendley Road and noticed first responder vehicles were lined up along the road.

Police taped off the area immediately surrounding the wreckage. Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the crash.