Emergency Plane Landing
- Thread starter LarryJewell
- Start date
Glad no one was hurt.
A light aircraft made an emergency landing on the pavement of U.S. Highway 87 south of San Angelo this afternoon.
No one was injured in the landing, and authorities were trying to determine why the aircraft was forced to land on the road. The plane was headed for the San Angelo airport.
"Surprisingly, the pilot was calm, and that’s what kept me calm," said James Wood, a passenger in the plane.
Wood said it became clear the airplane wouldn’t make it to the airport, so the pilot, Brent McCasland, began looking for a safe place to land. He said the landing occurred between vehicles on the highway.
Both men are from San Angelo. They were returning from a morning business trip in Bowie, southeast of Wichita Falls, Wood said.
Wood said the plane was experiencing problems and the pilot was in contact with the San Angelo airport tower. Officials there told the pilot they had a runway open and clear, but the plane couldn’t reach the airport, which is southwest of San Angelo.
The pilot declined to comment.
The aircraft, a Cessna 210 single-engine high-winged plane, is registered to San Angelo Aero LLC.
The aircraft at 3:25 p.m. was parked with one wheel on the pavement and one wheel on the median near the Big Lake exit on the highway. Police closed the southbound lanes of the road.
The plane landed at 3:10 p.m., said Sgt. Tim Pucci of the San Angelo Police Department.
Pucci said the investigation will be conducted by the Department of Public Safety.
Several witnesses were waiting to be interviewed by officials.
Lake and Park Police Chief Bruce Burkett said the plane lost power several miles from the airport. When the engine failed, the pilot told the tower he had lost power and was looking for a place to land.
"He did, and he did it safely," Burkett said.
Authorities were waiting for a mechanic to arrive to remove the airplane.
The plane landed 50 feet in front of a truck being driven by Robert Simmons, 27, of San Angelo.
"I was driving and we watched the plane land directly in front of the truck," he said. "We pulled over and called 9-1-1."
Simmons’ girlfriend, Brittni Myer, of Eldorado, was in the passenger seat.
"We could have died. They could have died," she said. "You never know."
This is a breaking news story. More developments will be reported as information becomes available.
No one was injured in the landing, and authorities were trying to determine why the aircraft was forced to land on the road. The plane was headed for the San Angelo airport.
"Surprisingly, the pilot was calm, and that’s what kept me calm," said James Wood, a passenger in the plane.
Wood said it became clear the airplane wouldn’t make it to the airport, so the pilot, Brent McCasland, began looking for a safe place to land. He said the landing occurred between vehicles on the highway.
Both men are from San Angelo. They were returning from a morning business trip in Bowie, southeast of Wichita Falls, Wood said.
Wood said the plane was experiencing problems and the pilot was in contact with the San Angelo airport tower. Officials there told the pilot they had a runway open and clear, but the plane couldn’t reach the airport, which is southwest of San Angelo.
The pilot declined to comment.
The aircraft, a Cessna 210 single-engine high-winged plane, is registered to San Angelo Aero LLC.
The aircraft at 3:25 p.m. was parked with one wheel on the pavement and one wheel on the median near the Big Lake exit on the highway. Police closed the southbound lanes of the road.
The plane landed at 3:10 p.m., said Sgt. Tim Pucci of the San Angelo Police Department.
Pucci said the investigation will be conducted by the Department of Public Safety.
Several witnesses were waiting to be interviewed by officials.
Lake and Park Police Chief Bruce Burkett said the plane lost power several miles from the airport. When the engine failed, the pilot told the tower he had lost power and was looking for a place to land.
"He did, and he did it safely," Burkett said.
Authorities were waiting for a mechanic to arrive to remove the airplane.
The plane landed 50 feet in front of a truck being driven by Robert Simmons, 27, of San Angelo.
"I was driving and we watched the plane land directly in front of the truck," he said. "We pulled over and called 9-1-1."
Simmons’ girlfriend, Brittni Myer, of Eldorado, was in the passenger seat.
"We could have died. They could have died," she said. "You never know."
This is a breaking news story. More developments will be reported as information becomes available.
