Hero pilot Brock Peters, 18, makes dramatic emergency landing on highway after engine fails at 5,500 ft
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: An engine failure forced an 18-year-old pilot to make an emergency landing on a two-lane highway while flying his grandmother and two cousins in a small plane. The dramatic landing on El Cajon Boulevard occurred on Monday, December 2, when Brock Peters, a hero pilot with only four months' license, was taking his family over San Bernardino for breakfast.
The Piper PA-28 he was flying lost power at a height of about 5,500 feet, forcing him to concentrate on landing the aircraft on the famous Route 66 amid his grandmother's distressed cries from the back of the cockpit. "I can hear my grandma crying in the back," he said to CBS News LA. "I'm like "I've got to tune her out, focus on what I need to do and get this plane down safely and make sure everybody is OK."'
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The landing took place just before 10 am on Monday, January 2 while Peters was traveling from Riverside Airport to Apple Valley Airport and nobody was hurt in the incident. "We're coming through the pass and I hear a boom," Peters said. "I lose all engine power." When he was unable to restart the engine, he began searching for a landing spot. "From the air, the field right in front of me looks flat," he stated. "But once you get lower, it's trees, rocks, everything - just going to tear the plane up," as reported by CBLA.
The hero pilot then determined that landing on the road was his best course of action, but first, he had to maneuver the aircraft around power wires. Even though there were only two lanes on the road, he told DailyMail that he wasn't overly concerned about traffic. "I had one car in front of me going the same direction but they were 150 feet in front of me so no factor and one car coming at me but they pulled over and I landed," he stated.
Peters described how his grandma, Martha Quiroga, continued to sob and scream after the landing. The teen, a Victor Valley Community College student who is also awaiting the start of his Mormon mission, said that his faith enabled him to cope with the challenging situations. "I knew I was going to land it," he told. "I knew I was going to. But to not hit anything that's God's intervention right there." He couldn't use his radio in the Cajon Pass, so he had to call his mother to tell her what had occurred. Soon after, she and his father showed up, and the California Highway Patrol was also on hand to offer support.
Peter's flying teacher praised his student for the valiant landing in a post on Instagram Story. "My student is one hell of a pilot!" penned David Andrews. "He handled that emergency landing with poise and got everyone home safe." "PS next time you plans on landing on Route 66, don't forget to invite me," he quipped.
The courageous teen wrote on his social media thanking everyone who helped him. "Glad everything ended the way it did," penned Peters. "Nobody was injured and the plane was completely intact. Thanks to everyone who helped and showed up."
