A Sunday afternoon drive along Interstate 15 was abruptly disrupted when a private helicopter was forced to land on a nearby road due to engine failure quickly. The incident, near North Centre City Parkway and Jesmond Dene Road, caused significant traffic delays along the interstate, as FOX 5 San Diego reported.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, the emergency landing happened just before 2:20 p.m., with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers and sheriff’s deputies quickly responding to the scene. While the event caused no injuries, it still managed to slow to a standstill in the traffic on I-15 during the afternoon. The San Diego Union-Tribune detailed that the roadway's proximity to the interstate affected the consequent traffic issues.
FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, identified the aircraft as an Enstrom 280 Shark, a single-piston-engine helicopter. The site recorded the aircraft's movements earlier that day, indicating it had completed a flight from Oceanside Municipal Airport to Ramona Airport before taking off again shortly after 2 p.m. en route back to Oceanside.
San Diego County Sheriff's Lt. Tom Fletcher confirmed that both occupants aboard the helicopter were unharmed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were promptly notified and have given permission to CHP to remove the helicopter from the road. Traffic along the interstate continued to be affected for hours following the emergency landing, proving to be a noticeable snag in the day's usual flow.
