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This isn't exactly a Portland story. It happened 143 miles away. And yet: Holy heck, we'll make an exception when a plane lands on a highway.
A small airplane was forced to make an emergency landing on a busy highway in Tacoma, Washington early this morning. And a state trooper, Clint Thompson, caught the whole event on his dashcam.
"While on patrol in east Pierce county, Trooper Thompson just happened to be in the right place at the right time and witnessed the plane make an emergency landing," Pierce County State Trooper spokesperson Johnna Batiste wrote in a tweet.
Thompson's video shows the single-propeller plane dipping quickly toward the highway as he made a fast u-turn and turned on his lights to try and clear traffic.
Trooper Thompson was able to make an emergency u-turn, activate his lights and slow traffic; making room for the pilot to land safely. pic.twitter.com/VvLaXKU2U4
— Trooper Johnna Batiste (@wspd1pio) August 1, 2019
The plane's pilot managed to land in the middle of the highway and come to a stop at a red light, where Thompson got out and knocked on the plane's window and helped drag the plane to a nearby parking lot. No one was injured.
Trooper Thompson’s dash cam video capturing this morning’s events! Great job by the pilot and trooper! pic.twitter.com/7X0uWYJ9fc
— Trooper Johnna Batiste (@wspd1pio) August 1, 2019
Batiste wrote on Twitter that the plane's pilot had to make an emergency landing due to a "fuel system malfunction," and that Washington State Police were not aware of the plane's complications.
"After 21 years with the patrol, this is a first for [Thompson]," Batiste wrote.
She tells WW the pilot is not being cited for anything.
Related: In 1978, a jetliner crash-landed on East Burnside Street in Portland.
