CUMBERLAND — Maine State Police were at the scene of an emergency plane landing in the southbound lanes of Interstate 295 on Thursday evening.
The single-engine plane landed about 5 p.m., Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland said in a news release. He said that the plane might have experienced engine trouble.
The plane landed in Cumberland and then taxied along the road for a time before the pilot parked the Cessna 152 along the passing lane and median in Falmouth, McCausland said.
The pilot is Sachin Hejeji of Falmouth, who was headed from Waterville to the Portland Jetport, McCausland said. Hejeji was not injured and no vehicles were struck as the plane landed during rush hour traffic.
Maine State Police Trooper Justin Cooley, who was at the scene Thursday night, said that the Cessna was flying at about 2,000 feet when Hejeji lost power to the engine.
“He tried to get power back to the engine and was unable to do so, and at that point his only option was to put down on the interstate. He landed at about mile 13 southbound in Cumberland,” Cooley said. “He came to a final rest on the median at 13 southbound.”
“At this time of day, with commuter traffic going southbound and northbound … it’s unbelievable (nobody got hurt),” he said.
A representative from the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency in charge of probing civil aviation accidents, was scheduled to begin investigating the incident Thursday night.
Meanwhile, the Maine Department of Transportation reported that the southbound lanes of I-295 were shut down at mile 13. Motorists were encouraged to seek alternate routes.
Police at the scene said that the tentative plan to remove the plane will be to move it onto a flatbed truck, shut down the southbound lane at Exit 15, and truck the Cessna north in the southbound lane to a Maine Department of Transportation lot at Exit 15.
Because of traffic backups on the highway delaying the arrival of the flatbed truck and the NTSB representative, authorities were unable to predict when the plane would be moved Thursday night.
Officers on the scene said the plane was a rental owned by Maine Aviation.
TSachin Hejeji of Falmouth is reported to be the pilot. He was flying the Cessna 152 from Waterville to the Portland Jetport.
McCausland said the plane landed and taxied in the southbound passing lane until stopping in Falmouth. He was not injured, and no vehicles were struck as the plane landed during rush hour traffic, according to McCausland.
Traffic in the southbound lanes have slowed and motorists southbound should seek alternate routes.
Emergency plane landing on I-295 north of Portland. State Police trying to flatbead it to Jetport. Traffic a mess. pic.twitter.com/8E4vUe8UbH
— Mike Redding (@ReddingWriting) November 21, 2013
No birthday is complete without front row seats to see a plane that landed on I-295. #maine pic.twitter.com/paXxH5lpXG
— Jeremy Cluchey (@jeremycluchey) November 21, 2013
Just pulled up next to a plane on I295 southbound. What in the world?? Hope everyone’s ok.
— Haley Osgood (@HaleyOsgood) November 21, 2013
Photo from @JonWGME on scene of plane emergency landing on I-295 S pic.twitter.com/FxwAEB8WyV
— Jana Barnello (@janabarnello) November 21, 2013
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- This small airplane landed on Interstate 295 in Falmouth after experiencing engine troubles on the way from Waterville to the Portland International Jetport, police said Thursday night.
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- A small plane landed on Interstate 295 in Cumberland about 5 p.m. Thursday. Maine Department of Public Safety Spokesman Stephen McCausland says the plane may have experienced engine trouble and landed in the southbound lane. TSachin Hejeji of Falmouth is reported to be the pilot. He was flying the Cessna 152 from Waterville to the Portland Jetport. McCausland said the plane landed and taxied in the southbound passing lane until stopping in Falmouth. He was not injured, and no vehicles were struck as the plane landed during rush hour traffic, according to McCausland. Traffic in the southbound lanes have slowed and motorists southbound should seek alternate routes.
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