Plane makes emergency landing on canal bank near Mesa intersection
Small plane forced to land on Main Street during rush hour
Air traffic control audio captured the moment a pilot of a small plane was forced to make an emergency landing due to engine problems near a busy intersection in Mesa. FOX 10's Steve Nielsen speaks with witnesses who heard the plane come to a screeching stop.
MESA, Ariz. - The pilot of a small plane was forced to make an emergency landing due to engine problems on Tuesday near an East Valley intersection.
What we know:
After flying south over the desert, the flight path shows they were headed northeast to Falcon Field when the mayday call went out.
"A small plane suffered an inflight mechanical problem. The pilot was forced to land on the canal bank near Gilbert and Main," the Mesa Fire-Medical Department said.
Air traffic control audio reveals the moments a pilot informed the tower of engine problems.
The plane belongs to Venture West Airline Pilot Academy out of Falcon Field. It was confirmed the pilot, passengers, and everyone on the ground were safe and uninjured. There was no damage to the plane.
Timeline:
"Mayday, mayday, mayday, we are having an engine failure. We are approximately seven nautical miles short," the pilot stated in audio recordings.
The controller directed the pilot, saying, "It appears you're flying over Main Street."
The city of Mesa camera captured the plane landing just past Gilbert Road and the light rail stop onto the busy three-lane road. The wings barely fit between poles and wires.
Another pilot called out, saying, "They are safe on the ground. They did not hit anything."
Local perspective:
Charles Cruise, whose car was in the left corner of the scene, looked to his left and saw the plane sitting there.
"That's the tail end of my car right there," Cruise said.
Cruise said he heard the plane but didn't see it until it came to a stop.
"It just sounded like someone slammed their brakes on suddenly, and it was just like a car. I thought it was a car avoiding an accident," he said.
What they're saying:
Nick Busch was working when he heard something unusual.
"I've never heard a 30-second tire screech. It was enough that we both stopped what we were doing and came running outside," Busch said.
"That was the last thing I was expecting to see. I was expecting a car, truck, maybe even nothing," Albert Hernandez, working two businesses nearby, said.
Dig deeper:
All the witnesses, and Mesa Police, said the light on the canal crosswalk was red, which stopped the cars before the plane landed.
"There was no oncoming cars, everybody was already stopped," Cruise said.
"The guy's really lucky, we're all really lucky actually," Busch said.
"That guy had an angel on his shoulders and so did some other people," Hernandez added.
Everyone has said that is a miracle.
What's next:
Firefighters and police officers at the scene assisted in the recovery of the plane. The plane was taken to the Camping World parking lot down the street as a team dismantled the wings and placed on a trailer bed to be towed away.
The investigation is ongoing.
Map of area where the plane landed:
The Source: The Mesa Fire-Medical Department and witnesses of the landing.