A Mocksville woman and seasoned pilot was out for a leisurely fly around Davie County on Sunday morning.
Sandra White took off from Sugar Valley Airport at 8:45, piloting a small, single engine Sport Aircraft Sport Cruiser.
About 45 minutes later, she noticed the engine’s RPMs were falling.
“The folks at Sugar Valley said she lost RPMs and wasn’t able to maintain altitude,” said Jerry Myers, Davie’s emergency management coordinator.
White saw a field near the westbound rest area and attempted to land there. It almost worked. The right wing to the plane hit the ground and was almost torn off.
Two witnesses at the rest area saw her land the plane, and ran to her rescue. She was conscious and oriented the entire time, Myers said.
She was transported to Baptist Medical Center, where Myers understood she was to undergo hip surgery on Tuesday. Injuries were not life threatening.
The FAA was on the scene Monday, and a salvage team later in the week to remove the wreckage.
A small fuel leak was quickly contained, Myers said.