You can see a lot of things on the nation’s interstate highways, from cars and trucks of all sorts to long-haul trucks carrying cargo from one coast to the other. And if you were in eastern Pennsylvania on Saturday, April 4, you might have seen something unexpected: a small plane making an emergency landing.
The good news is that the plane’s pilot was unhurt. The bad news? If you were driving on the highway near where the landing took place, you almost certainly experienced massive delays in traffic. And while the origins of the aforementioned traffic jam were relatively unique, bad traffic is still bad traffic.
As NJ.com’s Lauren Sforza reported on Saturday, the landing took place on a stretch of Interstate 78 in the town of Weisenberg, Pennsylvania, located just west of Allentown. (It’s also west of the confusingly named East Texas, Pennsylvania.) Both the plane’s pilot and its passenger were unharmed.
On Saturday morning, a social media account for the state police addressed the plane’s emergency landing. “Small plane crash on I-78 E/B, Weisenberg Twp., Lehigh County,” the statement read. “Westbound remains open. Expect prolonged delays in the area. Avoid the area.” Just over four hours later, the police provided an update: the highway had re-opened.
Aviation Technology Company Creates Passenger-Activated Emergency Landing System
Garmin’s Autoland to become a standard feature on multiple small aircraftAn ABC News article published on Sunday provided more details on both the flight and what led to its unscheduled diversion to eastern Pennsylvania. The flight was en route from New Jersey to Indiana when the plane showed signs of engine trouble. The highway, apparently, was deemed the best place to make an emergency landing.
Several eyewitnesses praised the composure and skill of the pilot. “His wings were literally from almost the center median to the grass on the other side, and like I said, he didn’t look like he was freaking out, he was just looking straight ahead,” area resident Victor Machese told ABC News. No one wants to make an emergency landing on the highway, but evidently, this pilot was up for the challenge.
More Like This
This article appeared in an InsideHook newsletter. Sign up for free to get more on travel, wellness, style, drinking, and culture.