Upstate New York Pilot Worries About Being Rear-Ended

Like all of us, Bruce Matrisciani has his share of safety concerns when flying. But the 46-year old Slate Hill (NY) pilot never really considered being hit by a car as one of them.

Tuesday, Matrisciani was flying his Cessna 172 near the Tri-Cities Airport in Endicott (NY) when his engine began to fail. Realizing he wouldn't make the runway, Matrisciani took the only option he saw available. The low road. He put the plane down on State Route 17.

"I kept it off the highway as long as I could," he told the Press & Sun Tribune in Binghamtom (NY). "My biggest concern was getting rear-ended."

Vestal (NY) police and firefighters showed up at the landing site, as did state police. Mastriciani, however, suffered no injuries. Emergency crews closed one lane of traffic after he landed.

Now comes the hard part. Police say they'll have to disassemble Mastriciani's Cessna and truck it out. Still, the pilot was pretty upbeat, considering the dangerous landing and the time and expense of taking the 172 apart to get it off the highway median. 

"What are you going to do? I'm alive," he said. "I'll go see my kids. I'll fly again."

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 8980V        Make/Model: C172      Description: 172, P172, R172, Skyhawk, Hawk XP, Cutla
  Date: 10/07/2003     Time: 1715

  Event Type: Incident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: None

LOCATION
  City: VESTAL                      State: NY   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT MADE A FORCED LANDING ON THE MEDIAN ON ROUTE 17 IN VESTAL, NY FOR
  UNKNOWN REASONS. THE PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED AND NO DAMAGE TO
  THE ACFT WAS REPORTED. VESTAL, NY.

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: Pleasure      Phase: Unknown      Operation: General Aviation

  Departed: UNKN                        Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: UNKN                     Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: UNKN
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: ROCHESTER, NY  (EA23)                 Entry date: 10/08/2003

FMI: www.faa.gov