Chopper makes emergency landing on I-90

Chopper makes emergency landing on I-90

Photo Courtesy: Washington State Patrol

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Story Published: Dec 18, 2007 at 12:28 PM PDT

Story Updated: Dec 18, 2007 at 1:25 PM PDT

By KOMO Staff

HYAK, Wash. -- State Patrol troopers got quite the surprise Monday afternoon responding to a "disabled vehicle" along I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass.

It turned out, that vehicle was instead a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter that made an emergency landing on the shoulder of the westbound lanes. The blades were still rotating when troopers arrived, and traffic was blocked.

Trooper Jeff Merrill said the pilot, Bruce Steier, from Squamish, BC, was not injured and the helicopter wasn't damaged.

Steier, 42, told troopers he bought the helicopter in Wyoming and was flying back to his hometown. He spent several nights in Yakima and then tried to make it over the Cascades through Snoqualmie Pass on Monday.

But as he reached he summit, his helicopter began overheating and experienced severe icing, forcing him to land on the shoulder.

After some de-icing the helicopter was moved to a parking lot at the Ski Acres Ski resort until the storm cleared.

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