Pilot reported engine trouble before emergency landing on a Hilton Head golf course

A single-engine airplane pilot who made an emergency landing on a Hilton Head Plantation golf course Wednesday reported engine trouble before the plane touched down.

Dominick Bonanno, of Hilton Head, was flying the aircraft with a passenger on a trip from Cape Fear, N.C., when the engine stopped over Port Royal Sound, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report.

Bonanno told a deputy he advised Hilton Head Airport about the failure and that he was making an emergency landing, the report said.

Instead of landing in the Port Royal Sound area, Bonanno piloted the plane to the 11th fairway of Dolphin Head golf course in Hilton Head Plantation.

Bonanno said once he landed, he struck a tree, causing damage to the front pilot-side wing and to the front landing wheel, the report said.

Neither Bonanno nor his passenger were injured.

Attempts to contact Bonanno Thursday for comment were unsuccessful.

The investigation has been turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration.

FAA communications spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen called the incident a “mechanical problem” Thursday and said the investigation could take up to several weeks to determine the need for the emergency landing.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Pilot reported engine trouble before emergency landing on a Hilton Head golf course."