Plane makes emergency landing on I 540 near RDU

[HPNFlyGirl]

This happened to be a plane out of my old flight school.

Small Plane Lands On I-540 In Raleigh


POSTED: 12:43 pm EDT July 12, 2006
UPDATED: 1:07 pm EDT July 12, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A small plane that had problems Wednesday afternoon landed safely on Interstate 540.
The plane, which landed in the westbound lanes of I-540, was moved off the road by 12:30 p.m.
No one was hurt when the plane, a Cessna that had flown out of Durham County, landed near Creedmoor Road.
A crew from RDU International was enroute to move the plane, officials said.

 

[ScottM]

Any speculation on what happened? Perhaps one of the two engines failed or the engine stalled, perhaps a structural defect on a 20 year old plane, or worst of all perhaps it was that a flight plan was not filled

Seriously though. Glad no one was hurt!!


since it was your old flight school was it one of the planes that you flew?

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

Any speculation on what happened? Perhaps one of the two engines failed or the engine stalled, perhaps a structural defect on a 20 year old plane, or worst of all perhaps it was that a flight plan was not filled

Seriously though. Glad no one was hurt!!


since it was your old flight school was it one of the planes that you flew?

Hey Scott,

It was Paul Hesse a CFI outta Lake Ridge. He lost oil pressure and put her down on the highway. I spoke to my engineer friend today and she said they have to make parts of the highway straight so you CAN land a plane on it if need be. No I never flew the 152's they had, just the 172.

 

[JoeSelch]

Ah... the old Straight Interstate Myth!
(Nevertheless, I'm glad he found a straight section and was able to put down safely.)

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/interstate/interstatemyths.htm

 

[Dave Siciliano]

Any speculation on what happened? Perhaps one of the two engines failed or the engine stalled, perhaps a structural defect on a 20 year old plane, or worst of all perhaps it was that a flight plan was not filled

Ha!! They probably couldn't shift gears to slow down before landing

Best,

Dave

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

Here is a non pilot persons view:

Surprised Drivers Call 911 When Plane Lands On I-540


POSTED: 6:59 pm EDT July 13, 2006
UPDATED: 7:18 pm EDT July 13, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. -- When drivers saw a small plane landing on Interstate 540 on Wednesday, they grabbed their cell phones and dialed 911.
Caller: “I just saw a small plane land on 540!”
911: “A plane landed on 540?”
Caller: “A plane, small plane.”
Pilot Paul Hesse was on his way from Durham County to Johnston County when he lost oil pressure.
He radioed RDU International and told air traffic controllers he was going to try to make an emergency landing on the highway.
The FAA called 911 and alerted officials. Seconds later, they were flooded with calls from drivers.
Bill Klump called 911 after he saw the plane just above his pickup truck.
“I heard this noise, didn't know where it was coming from, saw the cars behind me kind of slowing down. I saw a shadow over my hood of an airplane, thought it looked kind of close. I leaned forward, saw the wheels just to the left a little bit,” said Klump.
Teddy Hardy was driving eastbound on I-540 and saw the plane coming at him head-on. Then he saw the pilot, Paul Hesse, throttle up to avoid hitting Klump’s truck.
“The front end of the plane went up in the air, and it was like he jumped. He just jumped the car, and then he landed,” said Hardy.
Klump shifted lanes to give the plane more room to land.
“It wasn't expected, of course, at the time. You just kind of (say) 'Uh-oh' and react,” said Klump.
To everyone's amazement, no one, including the pilot, was injured.
“It actually could have been a tragedy. He picked a real good spot. I have to give the pilot a lot of credit. He did everything it looked like he was supposed to do,” said Klump.
“Way lucky, because there were a bunch of cars in the area,” said Hardy.

 

[ScottM]

Why the highway? I mean it sounds as though the traffic was pretty heavy, were there too many trees to pick somewhere else?

 

[etsisk]

Why the highway? I mean it sounds as though the traffic was pretty heavy, were there too many trees to pick somewhere else?

It's a pretty heavily developed area - trees, houses, streets and powerlines. I would expect that the hwy was the only good choice. I've flown a number of times with Paul Hesse and he's a really sharp pilot - if anyone could do that safely, it would be him.

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

Kudos to Paul....For Sure.