Approximate "Iraqi Air Force" Cessna landing

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Along an isolated road near the Highlands-Glades county line, a single-engine plane with Iraqi Air Force insignia was grounded on the afternoon of February 21, 2008. Doug Oliver, a spokesman for Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas, confirmed that the plane, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, is a basic training aircraft intended for sale to the Iraqi Air Force. There were no injuries or damages reported in the emergency landing.

Captain Randy LaBelle of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office said that the pilot was transported to the Sebring Regional Airport. Oliver said the Skyhawk is a "ubiquitous" trainer, with a design that's changed little in 50 years. "They're all over the place. We've probably sold 10,000 of them," Oliver told the Tampa Tribune. He also said it was a common practice for them to manufacture this plane for other air forces through a foreign military sales program.

The plane was flying from a paint shop in Tampa to Miami, where the U.S. Air Force was to inspect it before it was boxed up and shipped to Iraq for sale. During the flight, it experienced engine problems, causing the pilot to land along County Road 731, roughly two miles south of the bend toward U.S. 27. The registration number was YI-138.

*** Note ***
Please note that this site is an approximation. If you have the exact coordinates of the location, please make a note in the comments, and it shall be moved. According to the sources descriptions and my prior observations of the area, this is about where it landed. Online photos show few landmarks to aid in placement.

*** Sources ***
» www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2008/feb/22/mystery-sol...
» www.fox4florida.com/Global/story.asp?S=7907722
» www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?s=rss&story...