Plane makes emergency landing on Calif. highway
ROCKLIN, Calif. (AP) - A small plane has made an emergency landing in traffic on a highway median in the Sacramento area.
The California Highway Patrol says the aircraft landed safely Wednesday morning on a grassy center divide of Highway 65 near Rocklin as cars whizzed by. No injuries were reported.
Pilot John Mares says he was testing a new engine on the Beech BE35-33A when it lost power at about 3,500 feet, leaving him with no choice but to find a place to land.
A mechanic was on scene to see if the fuel pump failed. The highway remained open although traffic slowed down to see the plane.
The FAA says an inspector is on the scene. The CHP will close the northbound lane if the plane is cleared to take off.
The California Highway Patrol says the aircraft landed safely Wednesday morning on a grassy center divide of Highway 65 near Rocklin as cars whizzed by. No injuries were reported.
Pilot John Mares says he was testing a new engine on the Beech BE35-33A when it lost power at about 3,500 feet, leaving him with no choice but to find a place to land.
A mechanic was on scene to see if the fuel pump failed. The highway remained open although traffic slowed down to see the plane.
The FAA says an inspector is on the scene. The CHP will close the northbound lane if the plane is cleared to take off.
At least the cars stayed out of the way of this pilot who was landing. :)
"ABC"![A]viate (Fly the plane!), [B]est place to land, [C]ommunicate intentionsÂ
Always love hearing about these pilots making safe emergency landings on a moments notice. They really know what they are doing! :)
Great job setting it down. I've had to do it with models, but I'd hate to try it live!
Engine failures really scare the heck out of you... good thing he was in an area where he could make a safe landing.
I had an engine quit once due to a steep descent from 5000 ft... all the fuel went forward...Scared the begeesus out of me.. I never left an airport in a plane again without a full fuel load.. Winds change... and it really can affect the flight time..
There's a family story with a good outcome...Â
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