South Carolina Couple Crashes On Take-Off From Louisiana Highway

Some days, it just doesn't pay to leave the airport.

Michael Simon, his wife and their two sons were on their way from South Carolina to Baton Rouge, LA, Wednesday, when their Cessna 210 ran out of fuel just three miles from the airport. Simon made a desperate decision: Land on a busy, four-lane highway known as Plank Road.

He made it. The embarrassment of running out of fuel was mollified to some degree by the landing. The aircraft was perfectly intact.

So Simon, working with local authorities, decided to truck the Cessna to Baton Rouge Metro Airport. But the plan wouldn't fit on the truck. Fuel was brought in and Simon got clearance from police to take off from the highway.

He didn't make it. The aircraft's right wing impacted the side-mirror of an 18-wheeler parked on the side of the road, clipped an emergency vehicle and spun into some trees. The plane was substantially damaged, but Simon wasn't.

There's no word on just how he'll get home now.

(Personally, we sort of hope he drives).

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 59051        Make/Model: C210      Description: 210, T210, (Turbo)Centurion
  Date: 10/27/2005     Time: 1750

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

LOCATION
  City: BATON ROUGE   State: LA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  BAKER POLICE DEPT CLEARED THE NORTHBOUND LANE OF PLANK RD OF TRAFFIC. THE
  ACFT ATTEMPTED TO TAKE-OFF FROM PLANK RD AND CLIPPED THE SIDE MIRROR OF AN
  18 WHELER WITH THE ACFT'S WING CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL TO THE RIGHT. THE
  ACFT THEN HIT A BAKER POLICE DEPT EMERGENCY VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO THE
  WOODS. SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND NO INJURIES ARE REPORTED. 3M NNE OF BATON
  ROUGE ARPT., LA

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: 1553 UTC 07006KT 10SM CLR 19/03 A3016

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Take-off      Operation: General Aviation

  Departed: 3M NNE BTR                  Dep Date: 10/27/2005   Dep. Time: 1750
  Destination: BTR ARPT                 Flt Plan: VFR          Wx Briefing: U
  Last Radio Cont: ADVISED HE PLANNED TO DEPART PLANK RD
  Last Clearance: NONE

  FAA FSDO: BATON ROUGE, LA  (SW03)               Entry date: 10/28/2005

FMI: www.ntsb.gov