Pilot Thinks He’s Out of Fuel: Emergency Lands on Spokane Highway

I guess the pilot had no idea he had an extra gas tank and emergency landed on a busy Spokane highway.

Plane Emergency Lands on Spokane Highway: Pilot Thinks Its Out of Gas

Last Saturday, May 18, 2024, the Washington State Patrol and other agencies responded to reports of an airplane landing in busy traffic on the North Spokane Corridor. The small blue and white Cessna was brought down in an emergency landing because the pilot thought it was out of gas, even though it still had a full second tank. The pilot reportedly did not know the plane had the tank. He landed the plane on the North Spokane Corridor between Wellesley and Freya near milepost 161. Police closed that section of highway and redirected traffic at Freya.

No Injuries Reported in Emergency Cessna Landing in Spokane

The Washington State Patrol reports that luckily, there were no accidents in the emergency landing. After the pilot learned he had an extra gas tank, the plane was refueled and it took off safely from the highway on its way back to Felts Field. According to WSDOT, "The North Spokane Corridor (NSC) is a 10.5-mile multi-modal corridor. When complete, the NSC will be a 60-mile per hour, north/south limited access facility that connects I-90 at the south (just west of the existing Thor/Freya interchange) and connects to US 2 (at Farwell Road) and US 395 (at Wandermere) on the north end. Various stages of construction remain to complete the project." 7 of the 10 miles are completed with the rest said to be done by 2030. This is the first time that that stretch of highway has been reportedly used as a runway.