{"id":305683,"date":"2021-07-22T19:26:12","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T16:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/teen-pilot-in-nj-bridge-landing-says-being-scared-does-nothing\/"},"modified":"2021-07-22T19:26:12","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T16:26:12","slug":"teen-pilot-in-nj-bridge-landing-says-being-scared-does-nothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/teen-pilot-in-nj-bridge-landing-says-being-scared-does-nothing\/","title":{"rendered":"#Teen pilot in NJ bridge landing says ‘being scared does nothing’"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Teen pilot in NJ bridge landing says ‘being scared does nothing’<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n

The teen pilot who made an emergency landing on a New Jersey bridge said the unexpected stop wasn\u2019t the \u201csmoothest\u201d of his career \u2014 but still got the job done.<\/p>\n

Landon Lucas, 18, recalled the wild touchdown he made Monday in the westbound lanes of the Route 52 causeway connecting Ocean City to Somers Point after his banner-toting Piper J3 plane started having engine trouble while flying over Atlantic City, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing scared does nothing,\u201d Lucas told the news<\/a>paper Wednesday. \u201cIt was either water or bridge. There was a gap in traffic, and I went in. I just did a 90-degree turn, and put it on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucas, a Wyoming native with an associate\u2019s degree in aviation from Northwest College, said he was having a \u201cbumpy\u201d ride above Atlantic City casinos when his engine \u201crolled back to idle out of nowhere\u201d amid the turbulence.<\/p>\n

The young aviator flying for Paramount Air Service then ditched the aircraft\u2019s banner \u2014 an ad for Steel Pier amusement park \u2014 and headed toward Ocean City Municipal Airfield, or the \u201cnearest actual airport,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

\"Landon
Landon Lucas stands next to his plane after he made an emergency landing on the Route 52 causeway connecting Ocean City and Somers Point, NJ on July 19, 2021.<\/figcaption>
AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI still had marginal engine power, enough to sustain altitude,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cI thought if I at least had that, I would aim for the airport. It\u2019s a lot easier to aim for the airport and actually take off again than to land in an abandoned airport or a highway. The intention was not to land in a bridge in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the plane\u2019s engine \u201ccompletely failed\u201d moments later as Lucas was app<\/a>roaching Ocean City. He then noticed a \u201cgap in traffic\u201d on the bridge big enough for him to land on the 2.2-mile span, where no cars came near the plane until it touched down, the Inquirer reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was trained,\u201d the cool and collected teen said. \u201cI knew how to do it. I attempted Ocean City, and didn\u2019t make it. What\u2019s going to kill you is getting scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucas landed the plane \u2014 built in 1946 \u2014 without injuring himself or anyone else on the causeway, although a two-car accident occurred on its eastbound lanes, the Inquirer reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t the smoothest of my career,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was smooth enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Landon
\u201cThe intention was not to land in a bridge in the first place,\u201d Lucas said.<\/figcaption>
Landon Lucas Facebook<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lucas\"
Lucas planned to land the plane at Ocean City Municipal Airfield but the aircraft\u2019s engine \u201ccompletely failed.\u201d<\/figcaption>
@amysrosenberg via Twitter<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lucas said he yelled out \u201cf\u2013k yeah\u201d as loud as he could<\/a> upon landing the aircraft, which didn\u2019t have \u201ceven a scratch\u201d on it, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing scared does nothing,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt was my only option. You look left, you look right. There was really only one spot to put it in. One good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mechanic Joe McSherry said the broken weld in the plane\u2019s airbox will be fixed before it flies again \u201cprobably next week,\u201d the Inquirer reported.<\/p>\n

McSherry said Lucas managed to get the Piper J3 onto the bridge with just feet to spare \u2014 noting the width of the westbound lanes is 39 feet, or 4 feet wider than the plane\u2019s wingspan.<\/p>\n

\"Emergency
Emergency responders talk with Lucas after he made an emergency landing on the Route 52 causeway in New Jersey. <\/figcaption>
AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHe nailed it,\u201d McSherry said.<\/p>\n

Video showed Lucas back up in the skies Wednesday<\/a> while towing a Cape May National Golf banner over Wildwood.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust another day at work, not an ideal one,\u201d Lucas said of his landing. \u201cThat\u2019s how you make your money. I\u2019m trained to be a pilot. Flying a plane that runs is not that hard. It\u2019s when they stop running.\u201d\n <\/p><\/div>\n