A UND flight student made the decision to turn back and land a plane at the Grand Forks International Airport on Wednesday afternoon for what turned out to be a false alarm, university officials said.
Juan Pedraza with University Relations said the student and an onboard flight instructor noted some oil on the windshield of the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, one of UND's newer aircraft. "The pilots were just extremely safety-conscious and decided to return," he said.
The oil came from oil residue on the cowling, a piece of sheet metal that covers the engine basically like the hood of a car. The oil blew onto the windshield as the plane took off, Pedraza said.
Maintenance crews looked over the plane for a couple of hours Wednesday and found no mechanical problems, he said.
Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohn-son@gfherald.com .
