A small plane with apparent engine trouble made a forced landing Saturday on a busy highway in the Bronx, injuring three people: the pilot and two passengers. The three were were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, fire department said.
The 1966 Piper PA-28-180 aircraft landed about 3:20 p.m near the East 233rd Street exit on the Major Deegan Expressway, authorities said. It appears the single-engine plane avoided cars on the normally busy highway that connects the Bronx with Westchester County, said police spokeswoman Annette Markowski.
The sight of a small plane on its belly near the snowy edge of the highway surprised passing motorists.
"It didn't look like it crashed or hit any cars," said Patricia Sapol, 29, who was driving south on the highway with her husband shortly after the landing. "It didn't look damaged in anyway. It was remarkable, to be quite honest."