Engine lost power when student pilot, instructor landed on I-985, NTSB report details
Feb. 8—The engine of a Piper airplane lost all power before a student pilot and instructor landed on Interstate 985 at the split with Interstate 85, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.
The report said the student pilot and instructor took off from Lawrenceville and were destined for Buford before 5 p.m. Jan. 24.
After practicing maneuvers in the area, the flight instructor said she and the student pilot were returning to the airport, according to the report.
The instructor asked the student to switch fuel tanks.
"Shortly thereafter, the engine unexpectedly lost all power," according to the report. "... Unable to reach an airport, the flight instructor performed a forced landing to a local interstate highway."
The plane's right wing was deemed "substantially damaged" by an Federal Aviation Administration inspector, and the nose landing gear collapsed during the landing.
The instructor and student exited the aircraft before Gwinnett County fire crews arrived on the scene. The landing closed down 985 northbound for more than an hour.
The Gwinnett hazmat team offloaded 10 gallons of fuel from the plane before a wrecker service transported it away.
