Niceville, Public Safety

Airplane Makes Emergency Landing at Ruckel Airport In Niceville

In what may seem like a Christmas miracle for the pilot and their loved ones - a crisis in the air ended safely on the ground. Here's what we know right now:

A small plane made an ’emergency landing’ at Ruckel Airport Saturday afternoon in Niceville – according to Niceville Fire Chief Tommy Mayville.

Mayville said there were no injuries due to the landing – which he said had to do with landing gear not deploying correctly. According to Mayville, the pilot successfully landed the plane without serious injury.

Niceville Fire, East Niceville Fire Department, and North Bay Fire Control District responded to the emergency.

This is a developing story. We will update it as we get more information.

More Information About Ruckel Airport

Ruckel Airfield is a private grass airstrip that houses propellor-driven aircraft. There are a total of 25 single-engine aircraft housed at the airfield, according to Airnav.com.

Ruckel Properties, Inc. is listed as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) owner.

Ruckel Airport has had eight incidents since 1984, according to records collected by the NTSB.

Three of those accidents were fatal, including two deaths since 2012. The other death took place in 1989.

Christopher Saul

Christopher Saul is the publisher of Mid Bay News. He graduated from Southern Methodist University's School of Journalism with a Convergance Journalism Degree and a Master's Degree in Public Administration From Florida State.