The pilot of a small plane escaped serious injury after making an emergency landing on a busy Delta highway Wednesday evening.
Police say engine failure was to blame for a plane making a hard landing on Highway 91 between 64 and 72 Avenues at about 6:30 p.m. – at the tail end of rush hour on the four-lane thoroughfare.
The 49-year-old pilot had taken off from nearby King George Airpark in South Surrey when police say it’s believed the ultralight-type aircraft lost power.
The pilot was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. There were no other vehicles involved and no other injuries.
“It was rush-hour traffic, so the possibilities were very big as to what could have happened, but he [the pilot] was able to bring it down in a fairly controlled yet hard landing,” said RCMP Cpl. Peter Sommerville.
The highway’s southbound lanes were closed and traffic was diverted around the area until about 9 p.m. Wednesday. Police and the Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
– with files from CBC
