Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Highway in Baldwin County

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A plane sitting in the middle of Highway 441 in Milledgeville isn’t something drivers are used to seeing everyday.

Just after 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, a single-engine plane with some engine problems made an emergency landing on the busy bypass near HB & Sons Metal Recycling. According to officials, pilot Jim Burke was in route from Orlando to Gwinnett County when he noticed some trouble on board. Once he determined his aircraft would not make it to the Milledgeville airport, he turned the highway into a runway, landing on the road, before finally ending up in a ditch.

Georgia State Patrol Trooper First Class Michael Screws was shocked when he arrived on the scene and was even more surprised and thankful when he learned, no one was injured.

“I asked the radio again, the dispatch to repeat what they said because I thought they said a plane I wasn’t sure. They were real calm, so I thought it was kind of odd. But they said it was a plane in the roadway and it was a crash so I just came on and responded,” he said.

No one was hurt and no cars were hit during the landing. The wing clipped a line and a mailbox box on the way down. Trooper Screws credits the pilot’s military experience for the smooth landing and said FAA will be out to investigate this further later in the week.