CUPERTINO, Calif. – Drivers on State Route 85 in Cupertino got a big surprise on Monday morning when a small plane made an emergency landing on the freeway.
Pilot Peterson Conway told KTVU that he was flying from Carmel to Palo Alto when his plane came down on SR 85 south of Stevens Creek Boulevard just after 7 a.m.
Brooks Jarosz, a spokesman for the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, said the pilot ran out of gas.
CHP Officer Ross Lee said no one was injured during the emergency landing and the pilot was able to maneuver the 14-foot plane to the shoulder of the southbound lanes.
However, two truck drivers crashed while passing by the scene. The driver of one of the trucks said he was looking at all the commotion when he rear-ended a tan truck. Someone in that truck was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
“There may be the impulse to take a picture or look or try to share this information,” Lee said. “But any time you do that, you’re taking your eyes off of the road and your mind off of driving.”
The pilot was the only person aboard the single-engine CubCrafters CC11, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The two left lanes remained open, and the two right lanes were shut down as a tow truck was called in to remove the plane.
Small plane lands on SR 85 in Cupertino. Nov. 4, 2024
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