Flying in the dark

So last night when I was walking the dog, I noticed what I thought was a helicopter flying overhead. As if flew past me though, I realized that it was actually a plane with a horrible-sounding engine. Instead of the usual purr or buzz sound associated with an engine, this one was making a choppy pop-pop-pop kind of sound, which is why I assumed it was a helicopter at first. Anyway, I watched it continue past me, then bank and turn as it prepared to make the final approach.

Once it levelled off and was on the final approach, the lights on the plane went out, and the engine noise changed.

I'm pretty sure the plane made it in to land okay, but can't see the airport from where I live. It was very eerie to follow the plane by sound only as it travelled through the darkness, although to the pilot, I am sure his path was well lit with the city lights. As for the engine, my guess is that the change in noise was due to the pilot throttling back to idle and gliding in to the runway. I could clearly hear the propeller spinning as it flew past, and can only assume based on other planes that have landed here that the trajectory was correct.

My bus route circles the airport on the way into town - I'll be keeping an eye out for fresh wreakage, but it will be difficult to tell the difference between that, and any other projects on the go over there.