Plane lands on US freeway

24 Jul 2012, 4:27 pm   -   Source: AAP
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In 2001, a similar Piper aircraft was landed on a motorway in Germany when its pilot couldn't find the airport in heavy fog. (AP)

In 2001, a similar Piper aircraft was landed on a motorway in Germany when its pilot couldn't find the airport in heavy fog. (AP)

A small plane made an emergency landing on a Southern Californian freeway when it ran out of fuel in the middle of the night.

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When his single-engine plane ran out of fuel, 48-year-old Ken Gheysar did the first thing that popped into his head: He landed on a Southern California freeway.

Luckily, it was almost midnight on Sunday and traffic was light on the southbound lanes of Interstate 15 in Escondido, north of San Diego.

The seasoned pilot said he guided his 1968 Piper down as soon as he spotted an opening. His wife and two cousins did not breathe a word while he focused on what needed to be done.

"I found a spot that didn't have cars right underneath me and went for it," he said. "You don't have too much choice, because you can't go back up."

Once they were on the ground, Gheysar said he rolled the plane over to the right-hand shoulder to get it out of the way as much as possible.

No cars were hit and no one was injured. Gheysar said he was amazed to see traffic continued to flow in the far lane.

"Basically it was just a quick reaction," Gheysar told The Associated Press, as he worked on getting the plane towed from the freeway on Monday.

"The fuel ran out and there was not much time, and there was not much else to do. Can I call you back? I've got some important calls I need to take about moving my plane."

When asked if he would fly again, Gheysar said, "Absolutely". Will his family go with him again next time? "Probably not," he said, chuckling.

Aviation

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Your Comments

Nothing to chuckle about

John - from Canberra, 10 months ago

Surely a suspension of licence or fine for such a basic error that potentially endangered lives?

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