Pilot thanks D5 Materials and Soda Springs crew
for highway taxi assist

The pilot of a plane that had to use Idaho Highway 34 as his own personal landing strip on Sept. 21 in southeastern Idaho sent a recent thank you letter to some D5 employees. The crew had closed the road to ensure the safety of the aircraft and the traveling public on that day, and helped him get back up off the ground.

As D5’s Materials worked on that Saturday to install new inclinometer wells to monitor landslide conditions near the tiny town of Wayan, the airplane touched down a few miles west of where the crew worked. The small plane had run out of fuel and needed to make an emergency landing.

“I was heading west back into town when I noticed the airplane came down around noon,” said D5 Materials Engineer Gene Staggs. “Torri Mortenson and Scott Mackenzie were able to help close the road in order to get the aircraft off the highway safely. State Comm was called and the Caribou County Sheriff’s Office was able to respond.”

The aircraft refueled and ITD kept the highway closed briefly while the plane used it to safely reach a strip to take off. The fuel arrived around 2 p.m., and ITD started administering traffic control to get the aircraft safely off of ID-34.

The pilot sent us a thank you note on Oct. 15 along with some maple syrup from his farm in Michigan.

The D5 crew involved in the assistance included:

Scott MacKenzie D5 Materials
Gene Staggs D5 Materials
Gil Wright Soda Springs Foreman
Torri Mortenson Soda Springs TTO
Kurtis Allen Soda Springs TTO

 

Published 10-18-19