[Trish]

I saw this story in my local paper online.. One more reason to Love A Jeep !!
WESH.com
Jeep Helps Cessna Land Safely

POSTED: 2:48 pm EDT September 16, 2005
UPDATED: 3:26 pm EDT September 16, 2005
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- There were some real heroics Friday morning at the New Smyrna Beach Airport.

A crew in the back of a Jeep was able to help a plane containing EPIC Aviation's senior flight instructor and a student pilot get back on the ground safely, WESH 2 News reported.

Instructor Jason Messenger and pilot Kenneth Barrett landed despite some difficulty with the plane's landing gear.

A routine day in the sky over New Smyrna Beach turned into an emergency situation for the pilot of the Cessna 172 when he realized he had a problem with the landing gear.

"You know his nerves had to be shaky," said William Snow, a witness.

All eyes were on the sky for about two hours as the plane circled with emergency crews staging on the ground.

Then, according to witnesses, a crew in the back of a Jeep drove under the plane, reached up and saved the day.

"Impressive flying. I mean, that's incredible, 10 feet off the ground at that speed. But the guys in the Jeep got it locked down, and they were able to land," Snow said.

Once on the ground, the plane was towed back to the EPIC Aviation hangar, where the landing gear will be inspected.

While it all seemed pretty spectacular to bystanders, those involved in the troubleshooting mission said it's not that big of a deal.

"The airplane is intact. It was an incident. It was not an accident. The right gear did not show an indication of being down and locked," said EPIC Aviation representative Tony Perna.

Fortunately, everything turned out OK with a safe landing, thanks to what some consider a daring stunt on the runway.

"I think the guys in the Jeep are, No. 1, heroes, and No. 2, insane," Snow said.

One of those heroes said he's doing just fine, and he's glad everything turned out all right.

The three-man crew in the back of the Jeep actually used a 5-foot pole to reach up to the speeding plane, pull down, and secure the landing gear so the plane could land safely.

New Smyrna Beach officials are investigating the situation, but the good news is no one got hurt.

[opiv]

Originally Posted by Trish

"I think the guys in the Jeep are, No. 1, heroes, and No. 2, insane," Snow said.

That is an amazing story - it is nice to hear some good news.

[Jim Shanks]

Dang, Jeeps aren't meant to go fast. That had to be one white nuckled ride for the driver... Glad it all turned out okay.

Jim

[got4-Lo]

that was on real tv. it was a pickup truck. this could be different though

[Texas ZJ1]

IF this is a real story, the stall speed of a 172 is pretty slow. They could have driven 65 mph and been just fine.


Hunter

[TXST8tj]

http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/4982688/detail.html


same story different publication.