LOW-FLYING PLANE CROSSES GASTON/LINCOLN COUNTIES

By Jon Mayhew
Publisher

CHERRYVILLE – Several residents along the Highway 182 corridor near the Gaston/Lincoln County line reported seeing a low-flying aircraft Friday evening.

And, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), they weren’t seeing things.

An airbus, flying about 30 miles northwest of Charlotte, had developed landing gear problems. As a result, the plane had to “dump” some fuel.

Kathleen Bergen with the FAA said the term “dumping” fuel is misleading.

“The fuel comes out into a mist,” said Bergen. “It evaporates when it hits the atmosphere.”

Releasing fuel, according to Bergen, occurs at higher altitudes. In this particular case, the plane was at around 5,000 feet when it had to release fuel. The plane went back to Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

One resident on the Highway 182 side of Lincoln County said the plane looked like it was closer than 5,000 feet.

“I could see the windows of the plane,” said the resident. “I thought at first I was seeing things.”

Bergen could not say where the flight originated or what airline the Airbus represented.

No injuries were reported.