Jan. 23—New air traffic control audio provided fresh insight into a harrowing incident Sunday morning when the engine failed on a single-engine Beech M35 airplane, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing on a highway in northwest Harris County.
The pilot spoke with investigators from the Texas Department of Public Safety after the crash landing Sunday morning, said DPS spokesman Sgt. Richard Standifer. The pilot told investigators he took off from West Houston Airport, 18000 Groschke Road, and had been surveying the area, Standifer said. The pilot, who was not injured, did not provide more information on the kind of work he was doing.
The aircraft is registered to a Michigan address. Messages to a number connected with that address were not immediately returned.
The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft clipped a trailer, hit a concrete barrier and caught fire upon crash landing. The pilot was the only person on board, and he was able to climb out with no injuries, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Air traffic control audio obtained by Houston TV station KHOU caught the pilot declaring an emergency and announcing that he planned to land on the highway.
"I'm going to try to bring it in over the road and land with traffic," the pilot said. Less than a minute later, the control tower asked for emergency services to be sent to the highway.
"It's not good," one controller said. "They're on big fire, big time."
Deputies were the first to respond to the scene of the crash, which blocked traffic on the Grand Parkway at Cypress Rosehill Road, officials said. But the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will now handle the investigation, with the safety board providing future updates, according to Mina Kaji, spokesperson for the administration.
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