FAA investigating after plane lands on eastbound I-470 Tuesday afternoon
No injuries reported
No injuries reported
No injuries reported
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a small plane landed Tuesday afternoon on eastbound Interstate 470 near Douglas Street in Lee's Summit.
NewsChopper 9 provided the only view from the sky in Kansas City, and viewers sent pictures from the interstate. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said that no injuries were reported and the pilot told police he had to make an emergency landing.
"At approx. 2 p.m., a pilot was making his final approach to land at the Lee’s Summit airport when he experienced sudden engine failure in one of two engines," the MSHP said on Twitter. "The pilot landed on the nearby roadway of I-470 between Douglas and Colburn. No one was injured."
The FAA said the plane was a twin-engine Beechcraft BE50.
"A twin-engine Beechcraft BE50 made an emergency landing this afternoon on Interstate 470 near Lee’s Summit, Mo., after the pilot reported a loss of engine power," a statement from the FAA said. "No injuries were immediately reported on the ground nor by the pilot. The FAA will investigate."
From the Douglas Street Bridge, Mary and Gailand Coop saw the plane coming down.
"I looked up and there was a bright yellow plane, really, really close going over. And I go 'Oh, my gosh. That plane is low," Mary Coop said.
She said she could hear the engine was off and it might not make it to airport.
"At first, it looked like he was lining up with the median strip to make a grass landing in the middle and I think he looked over and sees that he's going about the same speed as the traffic, and the traffic had an opening," Gailand Coop said.
"He could hit a car. He could have hit the ground and exploded. It was wild. It happened so quickly," Mary Coop said.
The plane landed safely in between traffic. No one was hurt. No vehicles were damaged. The plane stopped before hitting an overpass bridge.
The only scratch on the plane came when it grazed a DOT sign.
"Any time you're landing any kind of aircraft on a major interstate and you can come out with zero injuries and no real collateral damage, that's just short of a miracle. right?" said Sgt. Andy Bell, of the Missouri Highway Patrol.
In the end, a pickup truck sent from the airport pulled the plane back to the hanger.
"That pilot to me, we watched him and to me, he really took that down and did a great job," Mary Coop said.