U.S.

Pilot Freed From Dangling Plane

April 9, 1998 / 11:06 AM EDT / AP

A small plane became entangled in power lines while approaching a landing Thursday, and the uninjured pilot sat in the upside-down cockpit 60 feet above a highway for almost four hours before he was rescued.

The Cessna 150L, coming in for a landing at Boeing Field shortly before 6 a.m. Pacific time, dangled from a wire by one wheel.

The highway, East Marginal Way, one of the main roads to the airport, was blocked off as officials placed two cranes underneath the aircraft. Two cranes were used to attach straps to the plane to stabilize it. A fire truck maneuvered a ladder up near the plane with a basket containing three rescue workers.

The pilot, Mike Warren, 47, climbed into the basket on his own.

Onlookers burst into applause.

Warren was taken from the scene by paramedics, but appeared to be in good health, said Seattle Fire Chief Jim Sewell. He was fitted with a cervical collar as a precaution.

Tests were conducted at Harborview Medical Center to make sure Warren had no internal injuries or broken bones, spokeswoman Pam Love said.

"He was more concerned about his airplane than he was about himself," said Tukwila Fire Lt. Dave Ewing, who was in the basket with firefighter Rich Rees.

Still, Warren was "happy that we were there and happy to be on the ground," he said.

Warren is a crane operator who commutes to the Seattle area daily by plane from Silverdale, across Puget Sound in Kitsap County, said David Brophy, who operates Dave's Aircraft and Engine Repair nearby.

Warren lives at Apex Airport, a private field near Silverdale where Brophy's business is located, Brophy said.

It was not clear why the accident occurred, said National Transportation Safety Board air-safety investigator Kurt Anderson. The plane had been cleared for landing, but as it touched down it suddenly took off again, veered to the left and got caught in the lines, he said.

Weather was clear, and there were no other planes in the immediate vicinity, Anderson said. Officials did not know whether there was a mechanical problem.

Warren is an expert pilot, said friend Bill Ammirata in an interview with KIRO-TV. "I don't know what happened to him there - a power failure or something," Ammirata said. "He knows that airport like the back of his hand."

Power to the lines, which serve some 2,500 homes and businesses, was turned off during the rescue attempt.

Foam was sprayed on the roadway as a precautionary measure, Sewell said. Between 5 and 10 gallons of fuel had leaked from the plane before fire crews in the basket plugged the line.

Ground crews talked to the pilot, keeping him briefed on the progress of the rescue effort, Sewell said.

The airport, also called King County International Airprt, serves mainly smaller planes.