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Pilot sticks freeway landing Tuesday morning

A small passenger plane, loaded with freight being transported from Spokane to Boise, landed on Interstate 84 near milepost 52 at the Orchard Interchange at 7:02 Tuesday morning (Oct. 13), blocking the right two eastbound lanes for several hours before the Idaho State Police cleared the scene. ISP and the Federal Aviation Administration continued their investigation of the incident.

ISP arrive on scene first, with the Idaho Transportation Department called in shortly thereafter to provide traffic control. Based on ISP reports, this is what transpired:

A 1970 single-engine Cessna aircraft experienced a power failure while on final approach to the Boise Airport, and the pilot, Jon M. Brinkerhoff, 30, of Westminster, Col., made an emergency landing on Interstate 84. Brinkerhoff belly-landed on the eastbound lanes of I-84 near milepost 52 as he was unable to get the landing gear to engage. Brinkerhoff was not injured in the crash. The left wing of the plane was then clipped by a Ford F150 towing a boat
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Brinkerhoff's engine failure may have been caused because the pilot forgot to switch fuel tanks, according to media reports.

The aircraft was moved from the scene shortly after 9 a.m., using an Orchard Street off-ramp.