A plane crash landed on the Hartford to New Britain busway in West Hartford, Connecticut, on Saturday afternoon.
The plane lost power while flying from Robertson Airport in Plainville to Brainard Airport in Hartford, and crashed on the busway between the Oakwood Avenue Extension and New Britain Avenue, according to police.
The pilot, identified as Danny Hall, of Torrington, was not injured, police said. Hall was the only one in the Skylane Cessna when it crash landed.
“I noticed the engine start to run rough and I start to lose power,” says Hall. “Nothing I did made it any better. So, I knew I wasn’t going to make the airport."
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Hall says he looked for a road to land on.
“What I thought was a road was actually the bus route I guess they just built. I was kind of questioning why there were no cars on it but I figure if I’m going to land a plane I’m going to try to put it somewhere where no one is going to get hurt,” says Hall.
Hall says he tried to stay calm for the landing.
“My last call was to Brainard and I just told them, tell my kids I love them if I don’t get through this,” says Hall.
Nearby, Oscar Sosa, who owns Oscar's Tuxedo, was working and happened to see the landing.
“As I look out the back window, I’m literally seeing a plane sliding across the pathway there," says Sosa. "The gentleman, I see can see some type of movement inside the plane. Then the door opens so I knew he was okay and then I, he literally comes right out and says ‘I’m fine, I’m fine, call 911’ and I’m like that’s already been taken care of.”
“When I got out of the plane after it got down, I noticed a little smoke coming up where the engine was, popped my seat belt, opened the door, got out of the plane, and as I was away from it, I realized I was safe,” says Hall.
The plane was heavily damaged.
This is the second emergency landing for Hall. In 2008, in the same type of plane, he says he crashed into a Rhode Island river.
"When I started having engine problems, I’m thinking not again,” says Hall. “The most important thing, I’m just happy no one got hurt, especially on the ground. I did what I had to do.”
The FAA is now investigating the crash.
Will Hall fly again?
"Yes, I love flying," he said.
