PLANE LANDS HERE SAFELY AFTER ENGINE TROUBLE

Bob Hankins was 50 miles northwest of Cape Girardeau Tuesday afternoon when an engine of the Cessna 401 he was piloting began to lose oil pressure. Twenty minutes later he was safely on the ground.

"I shut it down after we lost oil pressure," Hankins said of the propeller engine. "It's probably a cracked cylinder."

Hankins said low visibility because of weather forced him to land the twin-engine at Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport. "This was the nearest airport with ILS," he said.

ILS stands for instrument landing system, which guides pilots toward runways at the airport.

Hankins' decision to land here drew fire, police and ambulance crews to the airport in preparation for the landing.

"It was a nice landing," C.A. Laws said. "I'm glad we have a good pilot."

C.A. and Helen Laws were passengers aboard the aircraft, which is owned by the glass company C.A. Laws started in Olin, N.C.

Laws said he and his wife were flying from Payola, Kan., to Union City, Tenn., when the engine began to sputter about 5:15 p.m.

"This isn't the first time I've landed in Cape Girardeau," he said. "My wife and I used to land and meet friends for dinner here."

Laws spent Tuesday night at a motel here.

He said he hoped the plane could be fixed today. If just one part needs to be replaced, he said, the plane may fly out of this afternoon.