Small plane makes emergency landing in field after takeoff from Aurora Municipal Airport

A small training plane made an emergency landing Thursday in a field near Aurora Municipal Airport in the west suburb.

The single-propeller Remos GX plane took off about 7:15 a.m. from the airport, 43W636 U.S. Route 30, with a student and an instructor onboard, according to a statement from Aurora police. Police did not specify whether the student or the instructor was flying the plane.

The pilot “declared an emergency” and turned around back toward the airport when the plane experienced a mechanical problem moments after takeoff, police said.

The plane was unable to make it back to the runway and made a “soft landing” in a bean field on the airport’s property, according to police.

The pilot and passenger were uninjured, according to police and Aurora spokesman Clayton Muhammad, who said the plane was taxied back to the hangar with “minimal damage.”

A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said the agency is investigating the incident.