Plane Makes Emergency Landing On 56th Street

TEMPLE TERRACE, FL — A Tampa man escaped injury when he had to make an emergency landing in a Cessna T210 on 56th Street in Temple Terrace Sunday night.

According to the Temple Terrace Police Department, Lefferts Mabie III, 54, of Tampa was flying his single-engine craft from Pensacola International Airport to Peter O. Knight Airport when he ran into trouble.

Mabie told police he began noticing electrical surges while flying over the Gulf of Mexico.

“Realizing something was wrong with the aircraft, Mabie tried to divert his path toward Tampa Executive Airport,” an email from police said. “However, the plane’s engine shut off, he said, and he was unable to continue.”

Mabie was able to land the plane in the intersection of 56th Street and 127th Avenue, police said. No injuries or property damage were reported.

The plane was moved off the roadway shortly after its 8:20 p.m. landing. It was taken to AMF University Lanes on 56th Street until it could be transported elsewhere.

Police say the emergency landing is under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. Police contacted Tampa International Airport and the FAA after getting a report about the plane’s landing in the intersection.

No further information is available at this time.

Photo courtesy of the Temple Terrace Police Department

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