Sen. James M. Inhofe’s July Fourth weekend was a bumpy one. Rough weather conditions forced the Oklahoma Republican to land his small plane, which ran off the runway.   

Inhofe brought his plane down  in a small town in a far northeastern corner of Oklahoma on Sunday evening. There was a severe thunderstorm watch in the state at the time and strong winds forced the senator into a quick landing.  

The senator walked away from the incident and enjoyed the holiday with his family, according to The Associated Press.  

Inhofe, 81, is an experienced pilot who has flown more than 11,000 hours, according to his official website biography .   

Oklahoma’s senior senator has had other aviation mishaps  over the years., but he said they were fewer than similarly experienced pilots and that he is a “good pilot,” according to an interview he gave to the Tulsa World in 2010.   

A 2011 incident forced Inhofe to complete a remedial training course, to avoid a possible suspension of his license, after he broke Federal Aviation Administration rules when he landed on a closed runway in Texas, according to the AP .   

FAA records show that the senator was flying a fixed-wing, single-engine Harmon Rocket II that was registered in Tulsa.  

Back in 1999 , Inhofe had to make a crash landing when his plane lost its propeller. 

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