Local

Small plane makes emergency landing in median of North TX highway; pilot not injured

An image from a traffic camera shows a small airplane in the grassy median very close to a highway.
A small plane made an emergency landing in the median of U.S. Highway 80 in Forney, Texas, on Monday afternoon, Dec. 18, 2023, police say. Texas Department of Transportation

The pilot of a small plane was not injured after making an emergency landing in the median of U.S. Highway 80 in Forney on Monday afternoon.

According to a Forney Police Department news release posted on its Facebook page, the pilot landed along Highway 80 near Pinson Road. The pilot and pedestrians in the area were not injured, but lanes were closed and traffic was delayed.

Authorities responded to the downed aircraft at around 2:40 p.m. Monday, according to the news release.

An image from a TxDOT traffic camera showed the plane landed on the grass of the median very close to the highway.

According to the news release, drivers should expect “significant delays” in the area, and people are asked to avoid the area altogether. Both eastbound and westbound lanes of U.S. 80 were shut down at FM 740 and traffic was being diverted to the service road.

According to a report from WFAA-TV, the pilot took off from the Mesquite Metro Airport at about 9:30 a.m. according to Flight Aware.

This story was originally published December 18, 2023 at 4:40 PM.

Elizabeth Campbell
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
With my guide dog Freddie, I keep tabs on growth, economic development and other issues in Northeast Tarrant cities and other communities near Fort Worth. I’ve been a reporter at the Star-Telegram for 34 years.
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