New York City's new mayor Bill de Blasio might have called a small plane landing safely on a Bronx highway with only one minor injury Saturday "a bit of a miracle," but it's the words of the pilot's wife that's gaining some attention.
The Journal News reported that two women, not the pilot's wife, were on board the 1966 Piper PA-28 when it was forced to make an emergency landing on Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx.
In this photo provided by Patricia Sapol, emergency personnel respond to a light airplane that made an emergency landing on the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx borough of New York, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014. No major injuries were reported but northbound traffic was halted as fuel was removed from the aircraft before it could be removed from the highway. (AP/Patricia Sapol)
Giovanna Schwartz, wife of pilot Michael Schwartz, was contacted by the newspaper Saturday evening for any information pertaining to the incident.
"Why don’t you ask him? I’m sure he would be happy to tell you," Schwartz told The Journal News, unwilling to comment further.
By 6 p.m. Saturday emergency workers were finishing cleanup of the accident to reopen the highway to traffic.
In this photo downloaded from the New York City Fire Department�s Twitter account, firefighters stand near a light airplane that made an emergency landing on the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx borough of New York, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014. Fire officials say all were taken to a hospital, but there have been no immediate reports of serious injuries. (AP/New York City Fire Department)
De Blasio said the plane was headed back to a Connecticut airport after touring the Statue of Liberty when it experienced engine trouble and set down on the highway at about 3:20 p.m.
De Blasio said the pilot and two passengers -- a 25-year-old woman from New Milford, Conn., and a 40-year-old woman from Delaware -- aboard were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a Bronx hospital.
Michael Schwartz, as of April, was listed as a student pilot. He had only owned the plane since June. The Journal News contacted the previous owner of the plane who said he never had problems with it.
“As far as I know, it was in good and fine condition," Michael Welsh from Cambridge, Minn., told the newspaper.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(H/T: Gothamist)
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