Pilot, Wife, and Dogs Survive Dramatic Tree Crash Landing
A couple recounts their harrowing nighttime emergency landing after their plane experienced engine failure, forcing them to crash-land in a tree.
A pilot, his wife, and their two dogs are safe after a dramatic nighttime crash landing in eastern North Carolina when their single-engine plane suffered engine failure.
Dustin and Autumn Davis were flying to their beach house on October 7 when their Piper PA-32 aircraft lost power at 6,000 feet.
"The engine just wasn’t producing power," Dustin Davis told WRAL. The couple attempted to troubleshoot the issue and contacted air traffic control, but they could not reach the nearest airport.
With limited visibility due to the dark sky and no clear landing site, a crash was imminent. "When we made that turn and saw the trees, I pulled back," Davis said. He maneuvered the plane to about 74 knots, the slowest speed possible without stalling, to soften the impact.
The aircraft landed in a tree, wedged vertically and suspended about six feet above the ground.
Dustin Davis sustained a black eye from hitting the dashboard, and Autumn Davis reported neck and back soreness. Their dogs, Sophie and Royce, were unharmed.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident. Davis described the experience as a "new start" and feels he is "in the bonus rounds" of life following the near-fatal event.