Lacy said. "It's embarrassing."

A twin-engine, 30-year-old Beechcraft B-55 airplane made a precautionary landing at Visalia Municipal Airport at about 6:10 p.m. Friday when the pilot reported a loss of oil pressure in the aircraft’s left engine.

Clay Lacy of Van Nuys was headed to Fresno from Van Nuys airport in Southern California when he noticed a sudden loss of oil pressure in the left engine.

“I had to shut the engine down,” Lacy said. “Otherwise, it would have caught fire.”

Lacy probably could have flown the Beechcraft the rest of the way to Fresno on one engine, but decided to land safely at the Visalia airport.

“He [Lacy] did not report an emergency,” said Danny Wristen, battalion chief for the Visalia Fire Department, which nonetheless responded with two engines and a support vehicle. An ambulance was also called to the scene, but no injuries were reported.

At about 7:05 p.m., a Lear jet from an undetermined location, likely Fresno, arrived to pick up Lacy.

“This is the first time I have ever lost oil pressure during a flight, and I’ve been flying all my life,” Lacy said.

He was flying to Fresno from Van Nuys to “visit friends for the weekend.”

Wristen said that a “little pile of oil” could be seen dripping from the stricken left engine after it landed.

“No doubt he had quite a leak,” Wristen said.

Lacy said that the engine in question “had just been serviced” and that he had no prior problems with the aircraft.

“There’s oil all over the [tarmac] ramp,” Lacy said. “It’s embarrassing.”
Pilots can activate lights

The Visalia runway can be used at any time for emergency landings, Wristen said, and at night most pilots have the capability to electronically turn on runway lights from the air.

Mario Cifuentez, manager for the Visalia airport, was not immediately available for comment.

visaliatimesdelta.com/articl … in-Visalia

That is cluelessness on an epic scale…did they not realize who Clay Lacy was? Or couldn’t just Google him and find out? Or the writer just too lazy to point it out?

The writer also covers yard sales and flower shows, probably doesn’t even know VIS has scheduled airline service.