Photo: VictorAlcorn.com
A Long Island pilot had his second off-airport landing in a little more than a week last Friday, landing on the same highway he used in the previous mishap. Frank Fierro, 75, told reporters he thinks a blown fuse was to blame for engine problems encountered about eight minutes after he took off from Lufker Spadaro Airport in East Moriches. As he’d done the previous week, he set the Challenger ultralight down on the Sunrise Highway, this time in the eastbound lanes. On July 10, he landed on the median. It was his first flight since the July 10 off-airport landing.
In both mishaps there were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft. Fierro told media he had hoped to make the median again but there was a truck in the way. He’s a former PanAm pilot and long-time instructor. While there was no harm done in either of the mishaps, Fierro still had some music to face. “My wife is going to kill me,” he told reporters. Police said no charges are contemplated but the FAA is investigating. Fiero said he thought the original problem had been fixed but now believes a fuse that blew was too small for the load it carries.
