Seneca aviation students, instructor were en route to Vermont

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Two Seneca College aviation students and their instructor made an emergency landing in New York State just before 5 p.m. Wednesday on a highway en route to Vermont after the plane's engine failed.

"They were on a routine training exercise," confirmed Dominic Totino, director of academic and operations at the Seneca School of Aviation and Flight Technology.

The single-engine aircraft landed safely after developing engine trouble near Plattsburgh, New York, which is about 50 kilometres from their intended destination - Burlington, Vermont.

The names of the students involved weren't disclosed but Totino said they were both in their third year of the four-year aviation program offered at Seneca. He added the instructor aboard the plane, Michael Denning, was a graduate of the Seneca program himself two years ago with more than 1,000 hours of flight experience.

All three are in their 20s. They were expected to arrive back in Toronto by Thursday evening.

U.S. federal aviation officials are currently investigating the incident.

The aircraft in question was built in 1992 and never encountered any previous difficulties, said Totino, who expected the plane to be dismantled and transported back to Seneca for further inspection.