Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Interstate

(UnitedVoice.com) – Planes are not supposed to land on roads. That’s what airports are for, right? Unfortunately, all does not go as planned sometimes, and skilled pilots have to make life-or-death decisions. That is what happened in Georgia recently.

On Tuesday, January 24, just after 4 p.m., a single-engine Piper PA-28 plane made an emergency landing on Interstate 985. The plane had taken off from Gwinnett County Airport 48 minutes before the pilot landed. According to Atlanta News First, the pilot circled near Lake Lanier, then headed south toward the interstate. When the pilot landed, they clipped a semi-trailer that was traveling on the roadway.

Fortunately, nobody was injured on the plane or on the interstate. A HAZMAT crew was dispatched to the scene to remove about 10 gallons of fuel from the plane before crews could move it off of the road.

In another incident this month, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk landed on US 27, north of Interstate 75 in Broward County, Florida. The pilot, from Pelican Flight Training, reportedly made the emergency landing after having trouble with the engine. There was a student on the plane at the time who almost certainly experienced more than they bargained for when they signed up for classes. There were no injuries.

It’s not just small planes that make emergency landings in unusual places. Perhaps one of the most famous airplane landings took place in New York City just over 14 years ago. On January 15, 2009, after hitting a flock of geese, the two pilots on US Airways flight 1549 skillfully landed the aircraft in the Hudson River. The incident became known as the “Miracle on the Hudson” and was celebrated around the country.

The quick thinking of Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and his co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles saved the lives of 155 passengers and crew members onboard.

Today marks 14 years since Miracle on the Hudson. All 155 passengers and the crew survived @NY1 pic.twitter.com/qTphGtxzOJ

— Justine Re (@JustineReTV) January 16, 2023