LAKESIDE, Calif. (KGTV) — A single-engine plane made an emergency landing on SR-67 in Lakeside Saturday morning, creating a shocking sight for drivers and temporarily slowing traffic.
The private aircraft landed on the side of the freeway near the Winter Gardens Boulevard exit just after 10 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
The plane partially blocked the slow lane, forcing southbound traffic into one lane. Officials say no one was injured in the incident.
FAA officials on scene confirmed the landing was caused by an engine issue. Aviation experts say when an engine fails, pilots must think quickly and follow specific procedures.
"There's what we call some emergency action procedures that every pilot has memorized for their particular airplane for critical events. Engine failure would be one of them," said Rich Martindell, a former Air Force aircraft accident investigator.
The first priority is maintaining control of the aircraft.
"First thing you're going to do is establish what we call the best glide speed. So you keep the airplane flying. You don't want the airplane to stall and fall out of the sky. So you get a glide speed, look for a landing zone," Martindell said.
Martindell explained that freeway landings are not always a pilot's first choice, but when there's an emergency, options are limited.
"I would try to go for the middle of the lane and have as much room as possible, but there could have been some reason for him to be on one side or the other," Martindell said.
The emergency landing is under investigation, which could take months to complete.
"Normally the information-gathering stage takes about a month, and then it can take up to a year for the NTSB to come out with a final report," Martindell said.
Around noon, crews were seen pulling the plane onto a tow truck bed and moving it off the highway shoulder. Traffic returned to normal Saturday afternoon.
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