Banner plane pilot makes emergency landing on New Jersey bridge after engine trouble

Banner plane pilot, 18, makes incredible emergency landing on a New Jersey bridge after engine trouble

  • Landon Lucas, 18, conducted a successful emergency landing on a bridge in New Jersey Monday afternoon
  • He was flying between Ocean City and Somers point when the plane began experiencing engine trouble
  • Lucas released the banner into the ocean and was trying to get to Ocean City Municipal Airport to land 
  • Then he spotted a gap in traffic on a bridge and made the decision to bring the plane down there
  • Police say he landed the plane without causing any damage or injury to himself or others 

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A teenage pilot conducted a successful emergency landing on a bridge in New Jersey after the small plane he was flying experienced engine trouble.  

Officials say Landon Lucas, 18, managed to land the banner plane without injuring himself or others or causing damaging the aircraft.

Crews responded to reports of an emergency landing on the Route 52 causeway between Ocean City and Somers Point around 12.38pm Monday, FOX 29 reports.

Lucas, a Paramount Air Service pilot, was flying near the Steel Pier in Atlantic City when he started having engine troubles. 

A teenage pilot conducted a successful emergency landing on a bridge in New Jersey (as pictured above) after the small plane he was flying experienced engine trouble

Landon Lucas managed to land the banner plane without injuring himself or others or causing damaging the aircraft

Landon Lucas managed to land the banner plane without injuring himself or others or causing damaging the aircraft

Lucas (pictured above) is a pilot with Paramount Air Service

He was flying near the Steel Pier in Atlantic City on Monday when he started having engine troubles

Lucas (pictured above) is a pilot with Paramount Air Service. He was flying near the Steel Pier in Atlantic City on Monday when he started having engine troubles

He was trying to get to Ocean City Municipal Airport when he saw a gap in the westbound traffic heading towards Somers Point and decided to make the emergency landing.

Lucas released the banner into the ocean before landing the plane.

Witnesses told NJ.com they the plane was flying low to the ground for over an hour before Lucas landed it.

‘We were sitting at a window seat at Oves on the Boardwalk about 11.11am when my husband looked up and said that plane is in trouble,’ Sharon Lyons Wardlow told the news outlet. ‘It was low to the beach, traveling slow, with the banner hanging down.’ 

As of 2pm, crews were working to remove the wings and tow the plane away. 

Police say this incident remains under investigation. 

He was trying to get to Ocean City Municipal Airport when he saw a gap in the westbound traffic heading towards Somers Point and decided to make the emergency landing

The landing impacted traffic patterns for quite some time

He was trying to get to Ocean City Municipal Airport when he saw a gap in the westbound traffic heading towards Somers Point and decided to make the emergency landing

Witnesses say the plane was flying low to the ground for over an hour before Lucas landed it

Witnesses say the plane was flying low to the ground for over an hour before Lucas landed it

Lucas (picture above) had released the banner into the ocean before landing the plane

Lucas (picture above) had released the banner into the ocean before landing the plane