This California family got the shock of their life when they saw this Cessna land right in front of their car.
Call it a mix of skill and luck for this duo that was forced to land on a busy California freeway. According to ABC 7 news from their report on the matter earlier yesterday (Aug. 12, 2018) dash cam footage has surfaced showing the astonishing moment that a Cessna airplane decided to use a freeway as an emergency landing strip. Check out the amazing bit of footage below.
The Geer family was driving on Interstate 580 near San Leandro, California when all of a sudden a Cessna drops out of the sky in their field of vision. At first, it looks like the Cessna is just flying to low for comfort, in violation of normal airspace until the Cessna drops even further indicating something is seriously wrong.
My guess is at that moment, the Cessna already ran out of engine power and was gliding along as best it could. Masterfully hovering the Cessna above cars, the plane was communicating to cars in front of and behind it to get out of its way. The Cessna finally lands quite dramatically in front of the Geer family.
Fortunately, no one in the plane or on the ground was hurt. If anything, a couple of drivers making their way home got snagged up for a couple of minutes as they were re-routed away from the landing site.
Firefighters & @CHPcastrovalley at the scene of an aircraft emergency landing on WB I-580 near the 164th Ave exit in unincorporated San Leandro. Pilot & passenger are ok, no injuries. No injuries to bystanders or vehicles. No damage to plane or freeway. Cause under investigation pic.twitter.com/ZhRJXxPk5h
— Alameda County Fire (@AlamedaCoFire) August 12, 2018
As per Aviation Safety, it was engine failure that forced this Cessna to make a last-ditch effort. Taking off from Lake Tahoe, this plane was within a stone’s throw of its destination before trouble took over.
“Following a loss of engine power, the aircraft force landed to major roadway terrain in Alameda County east of its intended destination of Hayward Executive Airport (KHWD), Alameda County, California. The airplane was not damaged and the two occupants on board were not injured during the incident. “
Props to the pilot (pun intended) for having the right frame of mind to turn a truly horrific situation into what amounts of a minor inconvenience for commuters, not to mention a pile of paperwork for investigators.
Hopefully, he gets his plane sorted out and takes to the skies again.
