NEED TO KNOW
-
A teen pilot was forced to make an emergency landing while flying an aircraft in Palm Bay, Fla., on Monday, Nov. 17
-
The 17-year-old was the only person on board, and no one was injured
-
Brevard County Fire and Rescue responded to the emergency landing
A teenage pilot survived an emergency road landing in Palm Bay, Fla., on Monday, Nov. 17.
The emergency landing occurred at nearly 7 p.m. local time, according to local affiliate Fox 35. The 17-year-old departed from Okeechobee County Airport in Okeechobee, Fla., and was bound for Melbourne Orlando International Airport, local outlet Hometown News reported.
The teen, who has not been publicly identified at this time, was operating a Cessna 172N Skyhawk aircraft with tail number N6124D when they ran out of fuel, prompting an emergency landing. Brevard County Fire Rescue responded to Babcock Street SE, according to the outlet.
PEOPLE has reached out to Brevard County Fire for comment.
The rescue mission took only 15 minutes, and the teen was the only individual onboard, Fox 35 reported.
Getty Stock Images
Stock photo of police car alongside a road with emergency lights flashing
“The plane didn’t impact anybody, or the pilot, you know, no houses cars or anything,” Assistant Palm Bay Fire Rescue Chief John Ringer told the outlet. “The biggest hassle was that the road was blocked, and that was about it.”
Captain Andrew Whittall, an instructor at the Florida Tech College of Aeronautics, told the outlet, “If they’re on a solo night cross country, they would have been quite well advanced in their training. So I think any kind of training, the further on you get, the more competent you get, and to be able to walk away from something like this is always great to hear.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It shows that the training was successful,” Whittall added.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for further information regarding the emergency landaing.
Read the original article on People
