Pilot Survives Second Plane Crash As He Lands On Connecticut Road
A pilot who was forced to make an emergency landing on a Connecticut road walked away from the crash unscathed, surviving his second incident in six years.
According to the Daily Mail, 48-year-old Danny Hall, from Torrington, Connecticut, was forced to crash land his plane in West Hartford after it lost power on Saturday afternoon. Hall’s plane, a small Cessna, experienced engine problems while he was flying from Robertson Field in Plainville to Hartford-Brainard Airport. Hall radioed an air traffic controller in an effort to find a place to land the plane safely.
“I said, ‘Tell my kids I love them if I don’t make it.’ He said, ‘OK. Good luck,'” Hall recalled.
While looking for a place to land, Hall spied a road that didn’t appear to have any traffic on it. What he thought was an empty road was actually a bus-only corridor between Hartford and New Britain that is under construction, due to open in March.
“I was kind of questioning why there were no cars on it, but I figure if I’m going to land a plane, I’m going to try to put it somewhere where no one is going to get hurt.”
The plane narrowly missed several homes and local businesses, losing a wing during the crash, according to NBC News. After the crash, Hall noticed smoke coming from the engine of the plane.
HAPPENING NOW: Plane Crash Lands On Busway In West Hartford CT http://t.co/wn3cYFrPLc (@PinkPressdog) pic.twitter.com/cgZocyIM45
— COMMUNICATION CENTER (@stacos) November 29, 2014
“I popped my seatbelt, opened the door, got out of the plane and as I was [walking] away from it I realized I was safe,” he said.
Surprisingly, the crash isn’t Hall’s first. Six years ago, he was forced to land his plane in the Pawcatuck River in Rhode Island after its engine failed two miles from Westerly Airport. An FAA investigation determined that mice had built a nest in the engine, which was then sucked into the carburetor when Hall utilized a device designed to prevent icing.
Last month, a small, single engine plane bound for Orange County, New York, crashed in a residential area in Connecticut after experiencing similar problems. As the Inquisitr previously reported, the pilot was treated for minor injuries after the crash, which left the plane stuck in a tree, eight to 10 feet above the ground.
Hall, the owner of a roofing company, asserts that he may give up flying after walking away from his second plane crash.
[Image: AP via the Daily Mail]
