Pilot Mark Heinl says he planned to land where he landed–even if that spot happened to be busy I-75.
A week after Heinl’s dramatic emergency landing on I-75, the Ohio pilot spoke about the events of Tuesday afternoon.
At about 2 p.m. March 14, Heinl, 45, and a passenger, 37, both residents of Coldwater, Ohio, a town of 4,000 located about 50 miles southeast of Ft. Wayne, Ind. planned to fly the single engine Piper Cherokee airplane from Lakefield Airport in nearby Cleina, Ohio to Oakland/Southwest airport east of Brighton. The passenger, on his first ride in a small plane, was to pick up a car he’d purchase from a seller.
‘We were just following US-23 from Ohio so we did not file a flight plan. We stayed out of the airspace around Detroit,? said Heinl, a deputy with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputy for the past 24 years.
With both his father and uncle experienced pilots, Heinl’s association with airplanes spans more than 30 years.
‘I was flying airplanes at 13 years-old with my dad,? said Heinl, who earned his pilot’s license on Feb. 12, 2005 and logged about 115 hours of flight time. The Piper aircraft belonged to Heinl and five other members of a flight club based at Lakefield Airport.
‘I really was not lost. We just over-flew the airport and circled back around heading back northeast. I was at 3,000 feet heading toward Oakland/Southwest Airport when the engine sputtered and stopped-it just turned off. I dropped to 2,000 feet and after two restart attempts, I knew it was not going to fire back up. Right there I had about 2 minutes to pick a spot and put the plane down.?
Trying not to panic Heinl, a father of four children says he stayed pretty calm, making preparations for an emergency landing by propping the door open to avoid being trapped inside the aircraft in the event of a crash.
‘I did not bother to call ‘mayday? with cell phones in the hands of motorists I knew help would be here quick.?
Heinl says he had a lot to consider in a short period of time.
‘I was coming in fast, I could see a gravel pit to my left and a small field to my right. I saw I-75 and recognized the road from making frequent trips to northern Michigan. I could also see the overpass coming at me and realized to go under it not over it. I was just too low. I did not have enough altitude to get to the golf course either,? he said.
‘I remember thinking about how fast I was coming in, about 90 mph I think-the nose was up when we hit the median, bounced in and spun around and hit the guardrail. We were in the mud. I can’t believe that I didn’t cause an accident I feel so lucky, the cars were getting out of my way. God bless those drivers.?
The plane came to rest facing northeast about 70 yards north of the East Holly road overpass.
‘When the plane stopped I did not see anyone around me right away. I was so thankful when we got out we gave each other a hug, and said a prayer. Looking back if I would have seen a better spot to land in the distance I may not have made it and crashed landed. I picked my spot and landed there.?
Groveland Township Fire Department was first on the scene of the crash. Springfield Township firefighters along with Michigan State Police from the Groveland Township team also responded.
‘I’m thankful for those who responded after the landing. They all made me feel like I was at home, they took great care of us.?
‘Even as a trained pilot they can’t train you for this,? says Heinl. In pilots training school the instructors? throttle-back and you can idle in for a landing without power. But it’s just not the same-the engine does not stop.?
So far no ticket has been issued, says Heinl, and the Federal Aviation Administration is still investigating the accident and are uncertain what caused the engine to fail.
‘We had plenty of fuel, about ? a tank or about 2-? hours left-that’s plenty,? he said.
‘I will fly again, my friend says he won’t but we’ll see about that,? he said.
‘My life did pass in front of my eyes. I’m a little more cautious now-I have a different outlook on life. You just don’t know when your time is up.?