A Cessna airplane made a successful emergency landing on I-10 Friday afternoon and subsequently took off with assistance from multiple state agencies.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) report, the FHP communications center received a call at 4:02 p.m. reporting an airplane that landed near mile marker 275 on I-10—which is near the interchange with U.S. 90 northwest of Live Oak.
FHP, Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Florida Department of Agriculture officers all responded to the scene.
“The pilot, who was headed to Cross City, discovered that when he attempted to switch from one fuel tank to the second tank a supply failure occurred, forcing the emergency landing,” FHP reported.
The plane was pushed to the center grass median, where it was refueled. At 6:22 p.m., authorities on the scene shut down the interstate to allow the plane to take off from the eastbound lanes.
FHP credited teamwork between local law enforcement agencies and alert motorists who ensured the landing and takeoff were successful without injuries to people or property.
C-150 fuel valve is only on/off. Normally not touched in flight.
It may have been for an auxiliary tank, but the pilot should have activated it much earlier. LONG before an emergency could have occurred. There was probably a good deal of misunderstanding between the pilot and the emergency responders. I’m a little surprised they just let the pilot take off again without contacting other officials higher up the food chain.