Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Nashville, Tennessee
Aircraft, during banner tow operation, banner separated. Aircraft force landed on highway.
Date: 10-JUN-17
Time: 19:05:00Z
Regis#: N28820
Aircraft Make: CHRISTEN
Aircraft Model: A1
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: BANNER TOW
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
City: NASHVILLE
State: TENNESSEE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A pilot who was flying a banner for CMA Fest was not injured when he made an emergency landing by the interstate.
The small plane went down Saturday in the median of the Interstate 40/Interstate 65 loop west of Nashville.
The pilot, identified as Wayne Mansfield, has been flying aerial banners for 52 years. He said he could tell by the way the engine was sputtering that the plane had experienced an exhaust valve failure.
In those situations, Mansfield said they’re trained to look for a safe place to land.
“When these things happen, you get prepared for this. You’re trained,” Mansfield said.
Saturday was day two of flying for the CMA Fest, and Mansfield had a banner that said “Meet Lady Antebellum” with a number to text.
He had been up for a couple of hours when the emergency happened, and he looked for a place to land. He said the first and most important rule has always been to find a safe place that does not risk the safety or property of the public.
“I maneuvered the airplane so that I could bring the banner to a place where I could drop it, and then I had a couple of options and I apparently chose the good one,” Mansfield said. “I came in across that embankment, between those poles, and managed to land the airplane just above the embankment and then turn it to come down here and stop.”
Mansfield said no damage was done. He added the plane would be fixed and would be back up in the air.
According to Mansfield, he has won several awards for his work with safety. “It would be very embarrassing if this had ended up differently,” Mansfield said.
The incident happened around 2 p.m. Saturday and backed up traffic in that area for a while. Crews said it would take a couple hours to clear the scene.
Original article can be found here: http://www.newschannel5.com
Wayne Mansfield was circling downtown Nashville in a small, fixed-wing airplane on Saturday afternoon when he felt the engine sputter.
The plane — hauling a CMA Fest banner encouraging "Meet Lady Antebellum text CMA to 31996" — suffered an engine failure, he said.
Mansfield began looking for his best landing options. He found it where Interstate 65 meets the Interstate 40 downtown loop, near Jefferson Street.
Mansfield, who lives near Boston, said he dropped the banner and steered the aircraft over an embankment and between two poles before he came to a stop in a grassy median where the interstates meet.
"I was still going around in circles downtown. I wasn’t trying to come here that’s for sure," he said later, standing beside his aircraft, cars buzzing by.
"I didn’t have a lot of choices," he said. "I maneuvered the airplane, picked my spot and landed in it."
The emergency landing happened about 2:15 p.m.
The fixed-wing, single-engine airplane was manufactured in 1987, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. Mansfield said a repair crew would be routed to remove the plane and make repairs.
He reported no injuries, and no hard feelings about Nashville even despite the aviation mishap.
"I was here last year flying around, it was wonderful," he said. "That’s why I wanted to come back. Nashville is wonderful city, it’s full of wonderful people, welcoming people."
Story, video and photo gallery: http://www.tennessean.com
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