Plane makes emergency stop

A two-seat Cessna plane made an emergency landing around 9 a.m. Saturday at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport despite the ongoing runway construction that has closed the airport to air traffic.

According to Cape Girardeau Fire Department battalion chief Bob Kembel, the pilot of the plane said he decided to make an emergency landing because he was having trouble maintaining its altitude. An inspection of the plane after it landed revealed mechanical problems.

Kembel said the plane landed without incident on the taxiway of the airport.