Small Plane Runs Out of Gas, Lands on Cupertino Freeway

A small plane ran out of gas and made an emergency landing on a busy freeway in Cupertino, California, on Tuesday afternoon.

The plane, a single-engine Cessna 172, was carrying two people when it landed on Interstate 280 near the Stevens Creek Boulevard exit around 4:30 p.m.

The pilot, identified as 42-year-old David Ellenwood of San Jose, told authorities that he had been flying from Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose to Livermore Municipal Airport when his engine lost power.

Ellenwood said he tried to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. He then began looking for a place to land and saw the freeway.

Ellenwood said he was able to land the plane on the freeway without incident. He and his passenger, 35-year-old Sarah Jones of San Francisco, were not injured.

The freeway was closed for about two hours while the plane was removed. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.