Plane makes safe landing on Mon-Fayette Expressway
The southbound lanes of the Mon-Fayette Expressway were shut down Tuesday morning after a small plane made an emergency landing on the highway.
Pilot Brian Nicholson, left, talks to a state trooper about his emergency landing on the Mon-Fayette Expressway while his passenger, John Armel Jr., speaks with another trooper.
Pilot Brian Nicholson, right, talks to his passenger, John Armel Jr., about the emergency landing.
Southbound traffic continues to move Monday after the emergency landing of a single-engine plane along the Mon-Fayette Expressway.
CALIFORNIA – Minutes after takeoff Tuesday from Rostraver Airport, pilot Brian Nicholson and his passenger heard a loud thud in the engine and the plane began shaking violently.
Nicholson, a pilot for six years, immediately pulled back the throttle while at 3,000 feet and began searching for spot to make an emergency landing.
On one side, he saw a field with a point that would make a safe landing impossible. On the other side stretched the Monongahela River.
That’s when his passenger, John Armel Jr., saw the long swath of the Mon-Fayette Expressway ahead as they were descending to the ground. But as they scoped out an open spot of asphalt, they had to dodge an overhead expressway sign, power lines and even traffic as Nicholson made a safe landing in the southbound lanes near the highway’s Route 40 exit near California.
“It was extremely, extremely scary,” Nicholson said. “It’s an experience many pilots don’t get to have. I’m just happy we’re OK, thankful we’re alive.”
Nicholson immediately pulled the Universal Stinson aircraft onto the highway’s grassy shoulder, which allowed state police to keep traffic moving despite the commotion. Still, many motorists couldn’t help but slow down to snap a cellphone photo, and even emergency workers could be seen gawking at the strange sight.
“I don’t know if exciting is the right word for it,” Nicholson said of the landing. “It might be the most unique.”
The duo took off shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday and were flying from Rostraver to Waynesburg to pickup a part for Armel’s plane when they experienced trouble. The single-engine plane owned by Nicholson appeared to have a large notch ripped out of the wooden propeller.
Nicholson, 38, of Charleori, thinks that caused the violent shaking that forced him to pull back the throttle and descend.
“Something went ‘thud’ and it just started shaking bad. My friend and I just looked at each other,” Nicholson said. “I had to (throttle) the engine down. It was pulling the plane apart.”
Nicholson contacted air traffic controllers, making them aware of the situation, while Armel, of Republic, started searching for a safe landing spot.
“I was relatively calm,” Armel said, estimating the situation took less than five minutes. “We were just talking to each other and getting on the emergency frequencies.”
They flew around a large Turnpike sign and had to fit the plane between a tractor-trailer and car that were heading southbound. Nicholson pulled the plane off the highway with no additional damage to the aircraft.
“He did an awesome job,” Armel said before smiling and making light of the ordeal. “Piece of cake.”
State police kept the Mon-Fayette Expressway’s southbound lanes open while the Federal Aviation Administration investigated the emergency landing. The plane was on the highway for about four hours until crews could dismantle it and remove it from the scene.