(CHESTERTOWN, MD) -- No serious injuries were reported by the pilot and passenger of a small seaplane that reportedly stalled in the air forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in St. Mary’s County. 

 

The pilot is identified as Anthony Copozzi, 63, of Venice, Florida.  The passenger is identified as Charles O’Brien, IV, 35, of Leonardtown, MD.   Neither the pilot nor passenger reported any injuries. 

 

The plane involved is a Cessna 185 equipped with pontoons.  Shortly after 5:30 p.m. today, Maryland State Police at the Leonardtown Barrack were dispatched to the report of a plane crash at a field off of Bayside Road near Montpelier Road in Clements, Maryland.  Arriving troopers found the plane resting on its roof in a cornfield. No one on the ground was injured. 

 

The preliminary investigation indicates the pilot reported he was forced to perform an emergency landing after the aircraft suffered engine failure and stalled.  State Police notified officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.  Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene to assist along with Charles County HAZMAT.

 

The investigation is ongoing.