Two people escaped injury after problems with their plane forcing them to return to the Hutchinson Municipal Airport.

32-year-old Kristopher James Richardson of Hutchinson had just taken off from the airport when the Piper Comanche airplane experienced an engine malfunction causing a fire in the engine compartment which caused smoke to come into the cabin.

They were apparently able to get the plane back to airport where they made an emergency landing. Neither he nor his passenger, 58-year-old Philip Cline were injured.

The incident occurring around 1:30 p-m, Tuesday afternoon.