Pilots Walks Away From Crash Landing On Highway Median

A WWII-era P-51D Mustang crash-landed on the median of Highway 20 near Rexburg, ID on Thursday. Pilot and owner John Bagley walked away from the accident with only minor injuries.

Bagley had just finished rebuilding the plane's engine and was conducting a series of test flights when the engine failed after a take off.

He told local station KPVI, "As I pulled off the runway a 2nd time, the engine quit and then it started running again, and I'm going through every emergency procedure I had to try to keep it running, then it quit again and I could see I wasn't gonna make it."

Bagley made a seemingly miraculous emergency landing on the median. He says he knew he would overtake traffic heading the same direction as he and there was too much oncoming traffic to land in the opposite lane.

Traffic in both directions was stopped for several hours while police and rescue personnel worked to clear away the wreckage. Police say they are amazed Bagley escaped with such light injuries.

Lieutenant Shane Turman said, "I think it's a miracle he walked out of this, we're lucky -- glad that he did."

Despite the heart-stopping crash landing, Bagley remains committed to his hobby. He owns another P-51 and says he'll continue to fly it.

"Life has risks and rewards, and flying a P-51 Mustang is one of the great rewards in life, there's nothing cooler than flying a Mustang, not jets, not anything. I've got two of them -- I had two of them -- now I got one and a half."

He added his only regret was the destruction of "a very historic airplane that was in really good shape."

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**   Report created 12/22/2006   Record 1                                     **
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IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 251RM        Make/Model: F51D      Description: F45D MUSTANG
  Date: 12/21/2006     Time: 2255

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: REXBURG   State: ID   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT DURING FLIGHT TEST, ENGINE FAILED AND FORCE LANDED ON A ROAD, REXBURG,
  ID

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Other      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  Departed: REXBURG, ID                 Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: REXBURG, ID              Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: SALT LAKE CITY, UT  (NM07)            Entry date: 12/22/2006

FMI: www.faa.gov