A small plane carrying two adults made an emergency landing in a rural field in Washington County on Friday afternoon, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. No injuries were reported and the aircraft sustained no apparent damage.

Deputies and Cottage Grove Police Department officers responded around 4 p.m. to a location just east of 100th Street South and Manning Avenue South in Denmark Township, near Cottage Grove and roughly east of the Twin Cities metro area. They found the plane occupied by two adults who were unharmed. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were notified. Officials said the aircraft has already been released back to its owner.

Sgt. Matt O’Hara of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office stated that investigators were working with the FAA to determine the reason for the emergency landing but had not identified a specific cause at the scene Friday evening. He added that authorities were coordinating with the property owner on plans to remove the plane from the field.

The incident was unrelated to a separate nationwide ground stop ordered by the FAA later Friday afternoon. That temporary halt on departures stemmed from a telecommunications outage affecting air traffic control centers and was lifted later in the evening.

As of Friday night, local authorities described the landing as a successful emergency response with no threat to public safety. Further details on the cause are expected from the FAA and NTSB investigation.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned for more…