Pilot Avoids Truck, Overhead Sign in Highway Landing

A 21-year-old flight instructor did a particularly nice job of an emergency freeway landing near Pensacola, Florida, on Monday. Emily Shelton, who has about 1,300 hours, was taking a student for his first lesson and he learned something about staying calm under pressure. The Piper Cherokee had just taken off from Pensacola Airport when Shelton reported the smell of burning oil in the cockpit as she watched the oil pressure drop. She initially tried to make it back to the airport but the engine quit and she lined up for Interstate 10. To make the pavement she had to dodge a truck (which had a dashcam) and dive under an overhead directional sign before putting it right on the centerline.