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Pilot Lands Plane On LI Highway Twice In Eight Days
By
Scott Heins
Published Jul 19, 2014
Modified Jul 24, 2017
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By
Scott Heins
Published Jul 19, 2014
Modified Jul 24, 2017
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Most pilots are content with landing their airplanes on those designated stretches of pavement unused by cars, trucks, cyclists, and pedestrians known as "runways." Frank Fierro of Long Island, however, seems to have a post-runway approach to flying. CBS reports that Fierro, who is a recreational pilot, landed his small personal plane on Long Island's Sunrise Highway at about 1 p.m. Friday afternoon...having done pretty much the exact same thing eight days earlier. Same pilot, same plane, same highway.
“My wife is going to kill me,” the unlucky flyboy told CBS after landing safely in the eastbound lane of Sunrise Highway, near Exit 62. Fierro's plane had taken off from Lufker/Spadaro Airport in East Moriches before engine trouble forced the non-traditional touchdown. The aircraft was towed by Suffolk County Highway Patrol back to its airfield, and no one was injured. And Fierro had to make a very similar emergency landing on July 10th after an electrical failure during flight—thankfully, no one was injured during that incident, either.
According to NBC, the lightweight plane was investigated by the FAA after the first emergency landing and returned to its owner. Fierro, for his part, remains resilient. He told Long Island News 12 that the latest emergency landing, "will not stop keeping him flying, but instead will keep him motivated."
Tagged
emergency landing
Frank Fierro
long island
small plane
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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