Motorists in New Jersey received an unexpected driver on Thursday when a small airplane made an emergency landing right on a highway.
Christopher Okechukwu, a doctor and licensed pilot, was flying to Lincoln Park Airport when he experienced what he suspects to be a mechanical failure and was forced to land immediately, North Jersey.com reported.
At around 1 p.m., Okechukwu landed the single-engine plane on Route 23 in West Milford. Aerial footage shows traffic building up behind the Cessna 150 as emergency responders arrived at the scene near Paradise and Doremus roads, NBC New York reported.
No vehicles were hit and no one was injured during the landing. The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating the cause of the incident. Okechukwu said he thinks the plane suffered engine troubles caused by a frozen carburetor, the station reported.
The 51-year-old pilot is an emergency room doctor at Newton Memorial Hospital and has been flying for years, his wife Susan told New Jersey.com from their home in Paramus.
"He's fine," Susan said, expressing the utmost confidence in her husband's flying skills.
"He's a bit shaken," she added.
Okechukwu said he spotted a gap on the highway and landed behind a truck and car, merging in with the traffic.
"I did what I was trained to do- head for the nearest highway," he said.
