A privately owned Cessna 172 Skyhawk made an emergency landing on the breakdown lane of I-66, near Front Royal, Va., after reporting loss of engine power.
Neither of the two occupants of the single-engine plane were injured, according to Virginia State Police.
Traffic cameras captured the incident and a video clip was released by the state’s Department of Transportation. The plane can be seen landing along the right side of the highway with its port wing blocking half of the right travel lane.
“An airplane (yes, an airplane) is blocking the right lane of #I66 westbound just past exit 6 in #Warren County,” the Virginia Department of Transportation’s regional office tweeted. “It made an emergency landing and we don’t know how long it will be there. Expect delays.”
Virginia DOT officials announced the reopening of all lanes on the highway about one hour later, noting the plane had been removed from the breakdown lane.
“A single-engine Cessna 172 landed safely on Interstate 66 after declaring an emergency due to engine failure in Winchester, Va., around 10:45 a.m. local time Saturday,” a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said in a statement. “Two people were on board.”
The agency statement explained the federal agency is investigating the incident.
Emergency landing procedures for a Skyhawk that lost engine power include lowering flaps to 40 degrees, which decreases indicated airspeed by at least five knots. The manufacturer also recommends turning off the power and master switch and unlatching doors prior to touchdown.
Pilots are advised to touch down slightly tail low and stomp on the brakes as hard as they can.
Dumping as much airspeed as possible is crucial, as illustrated in an F.A.A. handbook explaining emergency airplane landings. One graphic shows a single-engine plane, such as a Cessna, decelerating at 9Gs only needs 9.4 feet to make a successful emergency landing if airspeed is 50 mph. The same plane, travelling at 100 mph would need a minimum of 37.6 feet to completely stop.
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