2 suffer minor injuries when small plane with engine trouble returns to John Wayne Airport

A general aviation runway at John Wayne Airport was briefly closed after a small airplane having engine trouble landed Saturday, but two people aboard were not seriously hurt, authorities said.

About 4:15 p.m., a four-seat Piper PA-28-140 landed. There was some discrepancy in official accounts as to whether it crash landed, made a hard landing or a normal landing. Orange County firefighters received a report it was a hard landing while the airport said it “crash landed” on social media.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the pilot reported engine trouble after taking off from the airport “and landed on a taxiway.”

Two people aboard the airplane had minor injuries, but they were out and walking around, said Deanne Thompson, a spokeswoman for the airport in Orange County.

Neither passenger was taken to a hospital, Capt. Carlos Huerta with the Orange County Fire Authority said.

A small fuel leak was contained and there was no fire.

The OCFA was removing the plane using a crane, Thompson said.

The runway that was briefly closed is mostly used for general aviation and smaller aircraft, Thompson said.

The main commercial runway at the airport remained open, Thompson said.