Pilot, 18, experienced engine trouble, saw open lanes and landed safely
By ELIZABETH LITTLE/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY — The Route 52 causeway between Somers Point and Ocean City became a landing strip early Monday afternoon when a banner plane experienced engine trouble and the pilot decided he couldn’t make it to the Ocean City Municipal Airport.
Ocean City Police and fire crews responded about 12:38 p.m. Monday after the banner plane safely landed on the westbound lanes of the two-mile long causeway.
Landon Lucas, an 18-year-old flying for Paramount Air Service, reported that his plane began to experience engine trouble as he was flying near Steel Pier in Atlantic City, according to a news release from the city. Lucas said he released his banner into the ocean and was attempting to reach the airport when he spotted a gap in traffic in the westbound lanes of the causeway. The pilot successfully landed with no damage to the plane and no injury to himself or any motorist.
One of the many bystanders was 16-year-old Daniel Lepone, who said that he was biking up the causeway when he saw the banner flying “lower and lower.”
“I heard a loud boom and it was really loud and I could see it just drift down slowly. It was pretty scary,” Lepone told 6ABC Action News. Lepone said that he saw the pilot drop the banner into the bay.
Lepone said that as a volunteer firefighter, his “instincts kicked in” and knew he had to do something.“It was coming down. I called the police. It was a huge adrenaline rush.” He said he witnessed the plane make an impromptu landing on the bridge and stayed at the scene to see if everyone was safe.
A single lane of westbound traffic remained open after the landing. Because there was an accident on the causeway shortly after the emergency landing, police stopped traffic at both ends at approximately 2 p.m..
Then, a single blue Porsche was allowed to cross eastbound on the bridge, and two men got out.
“We know the guy [Lucas] and everything. I told them [Somers Point PD], I said ‘I’m a pilot in Ocean City,’ and they let me over the bridge,” said one of the men, who said he was a coworker of Lucas and requested to remain anonymous. “There were other pilots there when we found the news out. We thought he was joking at first.” The man said Lucas radioed him before the landing.
The bridge opened after 3 p.m.and the banner plane was towed to the eastbound shoulder to have its wings removed and prepared to be towed after 4 p.m.
According to its web site, Paramount Air Service is the nation’s oldest and largest aerial advertising firm. It started in 1945, flying its banner planes along the beachfronts of Cape May, Wildwood, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Sea Isle City and Ocean City.
“During the summer we hire approximately thirty employees to produce the banners, set the banners up for the pilots, mechanics for the constant upkeep of the airplanes, office staff, and pilots. Our entire staff is dedicated to safety and quality of service,” the website reports.
