Small Plane that Landed on Clearview Expressway Off-Ramp

[PhilDernerJr]

In the late 80's or early 90's, a small plane had to make an emergency landing on the off-ramp of the Clearview Expressway at the Unioon Turnpike exit (MIGHT have been 73rd Avenue).

It came to a stop in the dead center of the intersection. The pilot was fine, and it was on the front page of the Daily News. The firemen that were responding thoguht they were responding to a car accident, and showed up to a plane sitting in the road.

However, I can't find ANYTHING about this anywhere, and have been searching for years. I was wondering if any of you local guys can find info about this, or maybe if some of you remember this by chance.

[Matt Molnar]

I remember it well because I went to grammar school pretty close to where it happened. It must have been around 1992.

A Cessna lost power over eastern Queens and declared and got emergency clearance to LGA. He didn't have enough altitude to glide all the way there, so he put it down on the clearest spot he could find, about 6 miles southeast of runway 31, the Union Turnpike exit off the northbound Clearview Expressway. The ramp is a substantial downgrade and he couldn't stop before the intersection, which has a traffic light...in fact the offramp gets a very short green because Union is a busy street and not many people use that exit. Luck was in the air that evening though (it happened around 730pm) and the offramp had the green. He didn't hit any cars, but his wing clipped a traffic light and knocked the plane over, breaking the his leg.

They took the plane away before I could get to see it, though I remember seeing the broken light pole.

[PhilDernerJr]

My orthodonest was on Union Turnpike in the 200-teens if I recall correctly. I remember studying the photo in the newspaper (I was an aviation enthusiast back then and didn't know it!), and my father pointing out the intersection on the way before every monthly appointment. I recreated it with my Matchbox cars a couple times.

I am a nerd. lol

GothamSpotter, I thank you for filling in some gaps that have left my mind. The next step is finding the FAA report on this, assuming there is one.

Thank you, much.

[IslipWN]

lol, Pjil it seems like you were really extremely interested in this one particular incident.

[Matt Molnar]

Here's a thread about it on A.net you started in 2002, which includes the NTSB finding:
http://www.airliners.net/discussions/ge ... /712668/6/

Here's a post I made about it on A.net (with my old handle) last year:
http://www.airliners.net/discussions/ge ... 1581414/6/