BREMERTON — A pilot circled his small plane above Bremerton National Airport for nearly 30 minutes to burn off fuel before landing without his nose wheel April 30.

The pilot landed the plane at 10:50 a.m. and emerged unharmed. The incident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, airport executive assistant Ginger Waye reported.

The Pulsar XP Series 1 plane took off from Bremerton National Airport at approximately 10 a.m. and lost its nose wheel on takeoff. Airport crew was notified by a nearby motorist of an item falling from the plane and, upon inspection, located the nose wheel on the north end of the runway. Airport management was notified and the pilot was contacted by radio.

“At the time, the pilot was unaware the nose wheel had been lost,” Waye reported.

911 was called; South Kitsap Fire and Rescue and Bremerton Police went to the scene. Once emergency crews were on scene and mobilized, the aircraft landed safely sustaining damage to the propeller and undercarriage. The pilot was uninjured.

“He just landed at the south end of the runway,” Waye said at 10:50 a.m. “He’s out of the plane and doing OK.”

Anna Dallman of The Airport Diner restaurant said several customers with children were eating as the airplane circled and landed. Some people went out onto the patio to watch. She said there was a collective sigh of relief when the plane landed safely and the pilot emerged unharmed.

“Its nose is down and its tail in the air, but it’s all in one piece,” she said.