Carlsbad

A pilot flying a small, single-engine plane made an emergency landing in a field about a mile east of Palomar Airport Sunday evening after his engine failed, authorities reported.

The plane was damaged but no one was injured in the landing, which federal aviation officials tentatively characterized as an incident rather than an accident. A federal investigator was to inspect the plane today.

Dick Hallen, a regional Federal Aviation Administration official, said the plane was on a final landing approach shortly after 6:30 p.m. when the engine stopped. The pilot, identified by Hallen as Ian Hirschsohn, made a forced landing.

Carlsbad Police Lt. Don Lewis tentatively traced the engine problem to a fuel stoppage.