A single-engine plane was forced to make an emergency landing Tuesday afternoon at the Santa Barbara Airport after it was unable to throttle down during its final approach. According to City Fire spokesperson Gary Pitney, the plane was trying to land at one of the airport’s smaller runways but diverted to the main commercial runway after it couldn’t adequately reduce power. The pilot then shut off the fuel supply to the engine, which allowed the plane to land, but it overran the 1,000-foot safety area at the end of the runway and came to rest in a dirt field about 300 feet from Tecolotito Creek, said Pitney. The pilot and his passenger escaped without injury, and the plane was towed to a maintenance facility for investigation and repair. The runway was temporarily closed, but no commercial flights were affected.

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