In a bizarre incident, a light aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on the North-South Expressway (PLUS) near Sedenak, Johor on Sunday morning (November 22, 2020).
According to a statement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) CEO Captain Chester Voo, CAAM Johor’s air traffic control tower received a call at 10.40 am from the aircraft pilot requesting for a return landing at Senai International Airport, Johor Bahru due to technical problems. The private aircraft, operated by Premier Air Singapore, was enroute from Senai to Melaka.
The Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza later landed on the highway’s emergency lane heading south with no serious damage. Thankfully, the two Singaporean pilots managed to avoid collision with the highway users.
The pilots were reportedly in stable condition while the plane was moved to the side of the road so as not to obstruct traffic on the highway. CAAM added that its search and rescue teams have completed all required tasks. The incident is still under investigation of the Air Accident Investigation Bureau under the Ministry of Transport Malaysia.
This incident was also confirmed by PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS). The expressway operator said its traffic monitoring centre was notified about a missing aircraft from the Senai Air Traffic Control (ATC) radar at 10:55 am. They were requested to monitor the highway and provide the necessary assistance if required.
At 10.56 am, the traffic monitoring centre received a call from a highway user about the light aircraft, which had landed on the highway at KM47.8 southbound. A PLUSRonda team was immediately dispatched to assist.
