Glare from the sun was the reason owners of an experimental plane gave for hitting a rut and damaging their landing gear at a privately-owned landing strip Saturday evening at 2584 Conneaut Road in Hartford Township, Hartford fire Chief Brian T. Hughes said.

A Trumbull County husband and wife who owned the plane said they bought it a week ago and decided to visit their friends who owned the landing strip, the fire chief said, adding that they landed around 6:30 p.m.

Once they landed, the husband, who was piloting, got blinded by the glare of the sun on the 3000-foot strip and went into a rut, breaking off one of their wheels, Hughes said, adding that the damage was about $1,000.

A resident at 2584 Conneaut Road called Trumbull County 911 because they thought the plane had wrecked, Hughes said.

Hughes wouldn't release the names of anyone involved until after the investigation is complete. Ohio Highway Patrol is in charge of investigating plane crashes, the results of their investigation are turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration.