Beech Debonair Pilot Makes Successful Emergency Landing

Mark Phelps

Friday, November 16, 2012 at 12:43 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Pilot John Mares successfully executed an emergency landing of his 1961 Beech Debonair on a highway median after a suspected fuel pump failure during a post-maintenance test flight.
Mares, the sole occupant, was uninjured, and his airplane sustained no damage.
Authorities were coordinating a plan to close a section of the highway to allow the aircraft to take off after repairs.
Mares attributed his successful landing to his 35 years of pilot training and practice.

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This morning, John Mares has the answer to one question pilots ask themselves all the time: How would I react if the engine quit in flight? The Redondo Beach, California, resident successfully landed his 1961 Beech Debonair (N425T), rolling out on a grass highway median after an engine failure at around 3,500 feet.

According to news reports, he had just replaced the engine and was on a post-maintenance test flight when a suspected fuel pump failure led to the emergency landing.