The pilot of a small plane that crashed Tuesday on Interstate 295 in Bowdoinham is listed in satisfactory condition at Maine Medical Center in Portland, a hospital spokesman said Wednesday afternoon.
John Gayley was flying a fixed-wing, single-engine Cessna 140 when it experienced engine failure, according to Maine State Police.
Gayley, having taken off from an airfield in Turner, was heading north and had intended to return to Turner when he landed the plane at 10:15 a.m. on the southbound lanes on I-295. Witnesses said Gayley had landed the plane, but it caught the guardrail and tipped onto its nose, leaving it vertically balanced on the side of the highway.
Gayley’s passenger, Rodney Voisene, reportedly suffered a minor arm injury, while Gayley had injuries on his face.
Drivers on the highway said they saw the plane coming in low toward them and one driver said the plane came within a couple of feet of his vehicle before it touched down.
No vehicle crashes were reported on the ground.
Witnesses say Gayley said he attempted to switch fuel tanks, but the engine failed to pick it up.
By Tuesday afternoon, the plane had been loaded onto a wrecker and removed from the highway.
On Wednesday, a woman answering the phone at Gayley’s home declined to speak to a reporter.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident. An FAA spokesman said Wednesday there’s no deadline for completing an investigation.
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