Sun, Jan 08, 2012
Made Dead Stick Landing On City Street In Texas
A Civil Air Patrol pilot escaped serious injury Tuesday night
when she was forced to land on a city street.
Second Lieutenant Sarah Rovner, a member of the Thunderbird
Composite Squadron in Houston, was flying the CAP-owned Cessna 172
from West Houston Airport to Lone Star Executive Airport when she
reported losing aircraft power. When she realized she would not be
able to glide the final six miles to the airport, she made a
dead-stick landing on Davis Street in downtown Conroe with guidance
from a controller, who also called emergency responders.
When those responders reached the scene, they reportedly found a
damaged utility pole and few downed signposts, and a 1979 Skyhawk
that's going to need extensive wing repair, but the 22-year-old
pilot was not injured, nor was anyone on the ground.
Colonel Brooks Cima, Texas Wing commander, said, “Landing
on a public roadway is certainly not optimal, but the pilot
surveyed the situation and determined that the road was the best
and safest choice for herself and the residents of the area given
the local terrain and darkness of night.”
Joe Smart of the Conroe Police Department told CultureMap,
"We've worked plane crashes before, but never right in the middle
of town."
Rovner reportedly passed her checkride only three months ago,
and has logged only about 100 hours. Lieutenant Colonel Robert
Beeley, a regional commander for CAP, remarked, "Sarah's a great
pilot and a wonderful example of the good training we require. Our
pilots are held to standards twice as difficult as requirements for
civilian pilots."
The NTSB will investigate.
More News
Maximum Authorized Altitude A published altitude representing the maximum usable altitude or flight level for an airspace structure or route segment. It is the highest altitude on >[...]
Aero Linx: Soaring Safety Foundation (SSF) The Soaring Safety Foundation (SSF) is the Training and Safety arm of the Soaring Society of America (SSA). Our mission is to provide ins>[...]
From 2013 (YouTube Version): Dracula Lives On Through Kyle Franklin... and We're NOT Scared! ANN CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Jim Campbell speaks with Aerobatic and airshow master, Kyl>[...]
“For Montaer Aircraft it is a very prudent move to incorporate such reliable institution as Ocala Aviation, with the background of decades in training experience and aviation>[...]
Also: ForeFlight Upgrades, Cicare USA, Vittorazi Engines, EarthX We have a number of late-breaking news highlights from the 2024 Innovation Preview... which was PACKED with real ne>[...]