A flight student and instructor were conducting landing and takeoff exercises in a small plane just before they were forced to make an emergency landing on a dirt road near East Palo Alto Tuesday morning, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.
A preliminary investigation into the emergency revealed that the Beechcraft Musketeer's engine started running roughly during flight exercises at Palo Alto Airport, prompting the forced landing about two miles west of the airport at 9:47 a.m., FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.
Neither the instructor nor the student was injured, Gregor said.
The plane's left wing struck a tree after the landing, causing substantial damage to the left wing.
The incident remains under investigation by the FAA.