Piper Archer II hits car during emergency landing on highway

A Piper PA-28-181 Archer II landed on a busy highway Tuesday morning, clipping several powerlines on its way down before colliding with a car. At about 10:32 a.m. on Tuesday, the Brooklyn Park Fire Department and Police Department responded to a call about a plane crash. Inspector and Public Information Officer for the BPPD Elliot Faust told reporters in a post-crash press conference that the plane was on approach to the Crystal Airport (MI41) when it lost power. The pilot radioed in an emergency, planning to land on the highway roughly 2.5 miles northwest of the airport. The pilot made the emergency landing, striking powerlines as it descended and collided with a passing vehicle on the ground. According to the BPPD, the 23-year-old pilot was flying solo and treated for minor injuries at the scene, while the 32-year-old driver of the car was taken to a local hospital, also with minor injuries. The plane involved has been reported as a Piper Cherokee, but according to the N number it is registered through the FAA as a PA-28-181, a Piper Archer II, a variant derived from the earlier Cherokee models. The FAA registry lists the plane as a fixed wing single-engine, manufactured in 1980, registered to Thunderbird Aircraft. Shawn Conway, Brooklyn Park Fire Chief, told reporters that the pilot was flying to the southeast on approach to the airport when he experienced a mechanical failure. He told a reporter that due to the emergent situation, there was no time to clear the highway for the landing. Conway praised the pilot for his landing skills. "The fact that he impacted one vehicle and was able to put the aircraft down…is probably a testament to his skills as a pilot," Conway told reporters.