Pilot makes emergency landing at Robert Moses State Park after engine fails

The pilot of a high-performance plane practicing for an upcoming air show was forced to make an emergency landing at Robert Moses State Park Wednesday morning after his engine failed, state officials and the pilot said.

Official response and confirmed impact

David Windmiller, who flies planes in the annual air show at Jones Beach and similar events, said he needed to quickly find a place to land when the propeller on his Edge 540, a single-seater aircraft, quit.

Windmiller, of Melville, said he took off from Republic Airport around midmorning to rehearse ahead of an air show in Cape May, New Jersey, this weekend.

But about eight minutes into the flight, Windmiller, 62, who said he has been flying since he was 14, said it was apparent something was wrong when the propeller stopped rotating.

“That was kind of a clear giveaway,” he said in an interview near where he landed.

Windmiller figured Robert Moses State Park Field 4, which closed on Labor Day, was an opportune place to make an emergency landing.

It took him 30 to 45 seconds to maneuver the plane onto the parking lot. The landing was smooth, he said.

“You have time to make a decision and pick where you're going to go, and just make good decisions,” he said.