And You Thought Your Solo Was Harrowing...

A student pilot, reportedly on her first solo, safely landed a Piper PA-28 (file photo of type below) without a nose gear at Danbury Municipal Airport in Connecticut.

Witnesses said the nose gear came off on her first landing attempt; she managed to get the aircraft airborne again and called for help on the radio.

More than 20 city employees including police, fire rescue and airport administrators responded to the call. Airport personnel told the student on the radio to stay aloft until all the equipment was in place.

As the aircraft touched down, two fire engines, a ladder truck, ambulance and rescue command vehicle sat waiting on an adjacent runway. The pilot was seen climbing from the aircraft after it came to rest.

The city's Mayor Mark Boughton asked the FAA for the pilot's name, but the agency refused to provide it. When asked why he wanted her name, Broughton said he's aware of how much time and effort city workers spent cleaning up after the accident.

The FAA has refused to release her name.

FAA spokesman Jim Peters told the Danbury News-Times, "You will never see the FAA release the name of a pilot or crew," adding when those names come out, such as in high profile cases like that of Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, the name wasn't released by the FAA.

So far there is no indication why the nose gear came off, but the FAA was on the scene.

********************************************************************************
**   Report created 12/15/2006   Record 1                                     **
********************************************************************************

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 44635        Make/Model: PA28      Description: PA-28 CHEROKEE, ARROW, WARRIOR, ACHER, D
  Date: 12/11/2006     Time: 1920

  Event Type: Incident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: DANBURY   State: CT   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT ON LANDING, NOSE GEAR WHEEL CAME OFF, BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN, CIRCLED
  UNTIL EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT WAS STAGED, LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT,
  DANBURY, CT

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Training      Phase: Landing      Operation: OTHER

  Departed:                             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination:                          Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: WINDSOR LOCKS, CT  (NE03)             Entry date: 12/12/2006

FMI: www.faa.gov