Pilot Testing Recent Engine Rebuild
A Cessna 177RG was forced to make an emergency landing on a busy
highway in Oceanside, CA Monday -- striking a sport-utility
vehicle, and snarling traffic for hours in the process.
Pilot Ramon Alfonso Campbell, 69, told investigators he was
conducting a maintenance flight to test the recently rebuilt engine
on the 1974 Cardinal (graphic of type shown above), and was enroute
back to McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad when the incident
occurred, according to the Associated Press.
"All of a sudden the engine blew up," Campbell said. "I got all
sorts of smoke in the cabin, started losing altitude, started
losing power."
He said he contacted Palomar Airport for help. "I said, 'At this
point, you can say a prayer for me, because I'm going down. There's
no way I'm going to stay up.'"
"All of a sudden, I just saw the plane, it appeared out of
nowhere," witness Teena Coletta-Rodriguez said. "The whole back end
had some kind of smoke coming out of it, it was going lower and
lower."
The aircraft veered away from her vehicle at the last second and
impacted the westbound lanes, she said.
Campbell told NBC San Diego as he came down, cars in the
westbound lanes slowed to make room, except the driver of one sport
utility vehicle. A wing struck the back of the SUV, injuring the
driver.
California Highway Patrol Officer Tom Kerns said the driver,
Maria Inett Marshall Wilson, 56, was airlifted to a hospital in La
Jolla with what was believed to be non-life threatening injuries.
The highway was closed in both directions for several hours.
The CHP as well as the Federal Aviation Administration are
investigating the incident.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 2144Q
Make/Model: C177 Description: 177,
Cardinal
Date: 06/19/2007 Time: 0140
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury:
Minor Mid Air: N Missing:
N
Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
City: VISTA State: CA Country:
US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT REPORTED ENGINE PROBLEMS AND FORCE-LANDED ON A
HIGHWAY, AIRCRAFT
STRUCK A VEHICLE, THE ONE PERSON IN THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED
MINOR INJURIES,
VISTA, CA
INJURY DATA Total
Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Grnd:
Fat: 0 Ser:
0 Min:
1 Unk:
WEATHER: 19008 10 SKC 20/13 A2991
OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase:
Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: SAN DIEGO, CA
(WP09)
Entry date: 06/19/2007