For Pilots in Trouble, Roads Replace Runways

November 21, 2011

By Ken Kaye, Sun Sentinel

For airplanes dealing with emergencies, South Florida’s roadways have become runways.

Since 1990, planes have landed at least 18 times on highways, busy thoroughfares and residential streets, sometimes squeezing down in heavy traffic. With few cow pastures available amid the region’s urban sprawl, the pilots had little other choice.

“It was the only option I had with the altitude I had,” said Vincent Citrullo, a flight instructor, who, along with a student, crash-landed on Northeast 10^th Street in Pompano Beach after their Cessna 172 lost power on Nov. 1.

In most cases, the planes, ranging from large cargo haulers to small trainers, were within a few miles of an airport. That’s because engine failures usually occur right after takeoff or just before landing. Pilots say power changes at those stages of flight can trigger mechanical problems.

Only two of the accidents were fatal. In one, a Beechcraft King Air rammed into an Interstate 95 retaining wall while approaching Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, killing the copilot in June 2001. In the other, a home-built plane crashed onto Yamato Road in Boca Raton, killing the pilot in September 2009.

Otherwise, aircraft-roadway incidents are rare, occuring on average less than once a year. General aviation planes make more than 800,000 takeoffs and landings regionwide.

In perhaps the most spectacular accident, pilot Charlie Riggs belly-flopped a DC-3 cargo plane down onto a quiet residential street in June 2005. That was shortly after the plane took off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and its right engine failed.

The aircraft slid 100 yards, clipped six cars and exploded into flames, yet no one died, prompting some city officials to call it the Miracle on Northeast 56th Street. Riggs, 68, of Pembroke Pines, said he selected the little road because nearby Cypress Creek Road was too busy.

“The cars wouldn’t have had a chance,” he said. “They were going 40 and I’m doing 90 in the opposite direction.”

In another high-profile incident, in September 2007, shortly after taking off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, a cargo plane careened onto the shoulder of I-95 north of Commercial Boulevard. After the crash, the pilot sat in the open air, an eerie sight, as the cockpit had disintegrated.

More recently, pilot Alain Jaubert crash-landed a Socata TBM 700 on Florida’s Turnpike near Hollywood Boulevard, after losing power on Oct. 12. At the time, the high-powered single-engine aircraft had been approaching North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines. The pilot and a passenger were injured but no one on the ground was hurt.

Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Mark Wysocky said because Jaubert aimed south onto the turnpike’s northbound lanes, motorists were able to see the turbine-powered plane coming at them and get out of the way.

Indeed, in the vast majority of the roadway landings, the pilots were able to avoid hitting cars.

On the other hand, a twin-engine Piper Seneca clipped seven cars after crash-landing in rush hour traffic on I-95 in Boca Raton in July 2001. The pilot and a passenger suffered minor injuries, as did numerous motorists.

Whenever a plane lands on a road, or anywhere else off an airport, the Federal Aviation Administration investigates whether the pilot should face punitive action, said agency spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.

“For example, if an aircraft runs out of fuel and the pilot is forced to land on a roadway, the pilot could be cited for not ensuring that the aircraft had enough fuel before making the flight,” she said. 

Because planes tend to be low to the ground when trouble strikes, pilots are forced to make snap decisions where to put down. Meanwhile, open land in South Florida has dwindled markedly in the past three decades.

For instance, in Broward County, where the majority of incidents have occurred, less than 11 square miles of agricultural land remain, a fraction of what it was before 1990, according to the University of Florida GeoPlan Center.

Just the same, in the event of power failure, student pilots are trained to look for the most wide-open area, not necessarily a road, said Terry Fensome, owner of Pelican Flight Training Center at North Perry Airport.

“The main thing is to put the plane down without hitting anything,” he said.

Staff researchers Barbara Hijek and John Maines contributed to this report.

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