Pilot Lands on Highway for 2nd Time in 8 Days

Pilot Frank Fierro had to bring his small plane down on Long Island's Sunrise Highway in an emergency landing yesterday after he developed engine trouble, reports the Daily News. Which isn't that unusual, except for the fact that the same pilot had to bring the same plane down on the same highway eight days earlier, again because of engine trouble, reports CBS New York. The 75-year-old landed his ultralight Challenger on a median on July 10, but yesterday he had to come down in the eastbound lanes. Nobody was hurt either time.

"I was hoping to stop in the same spot, but on the median there was a truck," says Fierro, as quoted by AP. "I was hoping they would move, (and) when they didn't I snapped the controls and moved over to the right and went on the highway." Yesterday was his first time flying since the earlier incident, and the engine fix apparently didn't take. A blog post at Daily Intelligencer voices what everyone is thinking: "For everyone's sake, it would probably be best if he doesn't try to figure out if the third time really is a charm." (More emergency landing stories.)