On Tuesday October 22nd at 6PM, Murray Hamer, a pilot flying a Cessna 210 Centurion had to make an emergency landing on Highway 16 when he realized he was out of fuel.
Hamer was flying an American registered aircraft to Kitimat, about 260km southwest of Smithers. Before departure, he checked the fuel gauges to see how much fuel was onboard, but read the gauges in gallons of fuel, not pounds – which is significantly less fuel.
Acting fast, Hamer spotted a good field to land in, but moments later saw the nearby Highway 16 near Raymond Road was clear of traffic, and was more suitable to make a safe landing.
Hamer radioed the Smithers Airport tower to alert them that he was landing with little notice onto the Highway. RCMP arrived at the scene shortly after the landing to assist pushing the aircraft off of the traffic lanes.
With files by David McTavish.
