small airplane lands i 84
A small plane experiencing engine failure made an emergency landing on Interstate 84 in Boise, Idaho, on Tuesday morning, but no one was hurt, despite it being rush hour. (more)
A small plane experiencing engine failure made an emergency landing on Interstate 84 in Boise, Idaho, on Tuesday morning, but no one was hurt, despite it being rush hour. (more)
The incident happened at about 7 a.m. local time when the Cessna T210K airplane landed on Interstate 84 near milepost 52 at the Orchard Interchange, blocking the right two eastbound lanes. The plane appeared to have suffered minor damage but the pilot escaped unharmed, and no vehicles were involved.
Shortly before the emergency landing, the pilot sent out a distress call to report an engine failure. A passerby told local news channel KTVB that the aircraft did not have any lights on as it came down.
According to Yahoo, the only person aboard was the pilot. He forgot to use a second fuel tank, which caused the engine to quit, said Andy Patrick, owner of Boise-based SP Aircraft. The plane landed about a mile west of the Boise Airport.
“He had plenty of fuel in the aircraft,” Patrick said. “He just made a mistake and forgot to switch fuel tanks. The pilot made an error and wasn’t able to make the runway.”
“This was probably his best choice,” said Santiago Guerricabeitia of the Idaho Transportation Department’s Division of Aeronautics. “If he did have an engine failure, there’s not a lot of time.”
The aircraft is registered to Bonnie and Andrew Patrick of Boise. The number on the aircraft identifies it as a single-engine Cessna T210K.
