For the second time in a little more than a year, a pilot with the Iowa State Patrol was forced to make  emergency landing due to circumstances beyond his control. The Patrol says Trooper Scott Pigsley was flying from Sioux City to Atlantic after having helped search for a missing woman in northwest Iowa, when his aircraft struck a flock of geese early Tuesday morning.   Pigsley, who was not injured in the mishap, landed safely at the Denison airport. The woman Pigsley was called to help find, was later located safe and sound.

Patrol spokesman Sgt. Scott Bright says Pigsley, a pilot for 17 years, was flying a single-engine Cessna at about 1,500 feet when he hit the geese. The plane sustained multiple dents to its wings and a wheel cover. Pigsley told KCCI-TV in Des Moines, the incident happened sometime between midnight and 1-a.m., Tuesday.

On December 18th, 2010, a State Patrol aircraft also flown by Pigsley,  made an emergency landing on Highway 44 near the Audubon/Guthrie County line, after having experienced oil pressure-related engine failure. Piglsey, and his passenger, a State Conservation Officer, were monitoring deer hunters when the plane went down, narrowly missing a pickup on the road. In 2006, Pigsley was also forced to make an emergency landing in a field near Bondurant, after experiencing engine problems.