I would do it in a heartbeat!

[CL60]

There is no correct answer

Any suitable airport is always the first consideration, then...

When I flew light piston aircraft, the only time I was really at a greater risk was in the terminal area at my home base. I used to make it a point to make a mental note of all the possible landing areas around my home base, the area where the highest percentage of my low level flying occured. Open fields, roads, obstructions, etc... Thankfully, I never had to use this "out" but I'm confident that I was prepared for the circumstance. While flying at higher altitudes, lighter aircraft afforded plenty of time to find a suitable landing area in a forced landing scenario. Airports, roads, fields, etc... Don't forget your training... the airport is where the emergency equipment is or if not, they know how to get to the airport quickly. An open field or remote road may leave you without emergency services for a while.

After flying from coast to coast for years, I've been amazed at how many suitale airports, for the type or aircraft I fly, there are in this country. Suitable and visible to the naked eye from altitude on a clead day or night. There are only a few areas I can think of right now that are higher risk areas from altitude. The Rockies for example leave you fewer options. The point is, from altitude, you can almost always find a suitable airport.

If you are forced down from a lower altitude, an airport is always a priority but if thats not a possibility, a wide clear roadway is a great option. Your first duty is to your passengers, your crew, and your aircraft. In an emergency, you have the right to land anywhere.

 

[TurboS7]

I have had five single-engine failures all of which resulted in an off field landing. In all cases not one scratch was put on the aircraft. Being familiar with the type of terrain via hunting etc. I was flying over made choosing the right type of field important to the final outcome. In all cases the aircraft was fixed, we taxied over to a road and departed in two cases we just used the field.Landing on an interstate is great when you are not familiar with the terrain. After landing I would get the aircraft on the median in between the roads, due to lack of signs etc. They will let you fly it off an interstate if you can convince the FAA and state troopers that it is the safe thing to do.

 

[Eagleflip]

TurboS7 I have had five single-engine failures all of which resulted in an off field landing.

TurboS7--nothing personal, but remind me never to fly with you in a single engine plane.

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Many MANY instructors teach their students to find
roads as a first and best place for emergency landing.
Roads, especially in urban areas, are mazes of power
lines, lights, signs, traffic, and bridges. They are the
LAST place I'd land. And if I DID have to land on one,
I'd hope to land on a highway center (if it's grassy).

For instance in S Fla, the everglades has miles and
miles of levees criss crossing the state and are MUCH
safer for a light plane to land on than the highway.

Highway landings happen all the time down here,
usually on the Sawgrass Expressway. It happens so
often, it doesn't even make the news anymore.
We just need to paint numbers on the highway.

CE

 

[Nick5600]

Autobahn

I have read that he autobahn has curves built into it to curb driver fatique. Damn germans always have to different

 

[Rally]

I've always told students and myself to land not on a highway but a field or unpopulated road. In Florida alot of highways are surrounded by fields. I do understand that a nose gear can collapse or you might flip or clip a tree with your wing etc. However, with cars moving 70+ mph you can't gaurantee that somebody won't over react and cause a pile up or a fatal accident. You people have seen crappy drivers these days. We are professionals. If all else fails no good fields, highway is full of cars go for the median. It is mostly smooth.

 

[VNugget]

Sometimes you just don't have a choice and have to take what you can get. Fortunately when it happened to me there was a red light clearing my direction and nothing got bent.

 

[JimNtexas]

The Koreans do it too. I seen 'em.

So have I.

 

[flybuddy1]

Rule # 1- SAVE THE HUMANS

 

[bugchaser]

I have always felt safe right over a big road for another reason. They don't build towers and such directly on top of the highway. You guys that suggest the better planning or piloting skills should be substituted for a highway landing have not yet gained enough experience to realize that sooner or later something will go wrong and you have to make the best of a bad situation. You would be surprised of the places that you can land a light airplane when you need to.