Pilot, 18, lands banner plane on bridge; no injuries

July 20, 2021 12:00 am • Last Updated: July 20, 2021 6:21 am

Emergency responders talk with Landon Lucas, 18, a pilot flying for Paramount Air Service, after he made an emergency landing on the Route 52 causeway connecting Ocean City and Somers Point, N.J. on Monday, July 19, 2021. No injuries were reported. (Matthew Strabuk/The Press of Atlantic City via AP)

OCEAN CITY, N.J. (AP) — The 18-year old pilot of a banner plane made an emergency landing Monday on a bridge in southern New Jersey, snarling traffic but causing no injuries, authorities said.

Landon Lucas reported that his plane started having engine trouble around 12:30 p.m. as he was flying near Steel Pier in Atlantic City, officials said. Lucas released his banner into the ocean and was trying to fly to a nearby municipal airport in Ocean City when he spotted a gap in traffic in the westbound lanes of the Route 52 causeway, which connects Ocean City and Somers Point.

Lucas landed the plane without incident, witnesses said, and officials said the aircraft was not damaged.

The incident remains under investigation, authorities said.

Emergency responders talk with Landon Lucas, 18, a pilot flying for Paramount Air Service, after he made an emergency landing on the Route 52 causeway connecting Ocean City and Somers Point on Monday, July 19, 2021. No injuries were reported. (Matthew Strabuk/The Press of Atlantic City via AP)

Landon Lucas, 18, a pilot flying for Paramount Air Service, stands next to his plane after he made an emergency landing on the Route 52 causeway connecting Ocean City and Somers Point, N.J. on Monday, July 19, 2021. No injuries were reported. (Matthew Strabuk/The Press of Atlantic City via AP)

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