Summa is the owner of Skyline Aviation Academy, a professional flight school

‘Watch that truck!’ Marcus Summa helps guide small aircraft to the ground after engine failure

Marcus Summa is uncomfortable with being referred to as a hero. In fact, when news publications gave credit to an unknown airline pilot for guiding a Cessna 172 with engine failure to a safe landing, he didn’t mind. “They can have the credit,” he said. “I honestly hadn’t given it a second thought; I wasn’t really expecting to hear anything else.”

Summa is referring to the June 11, 2021, emergency landing on a South Florida highway. Flight instructor Richard Lee and his student were faced with making critical decisions under stress after their Cessna 172’s engine failed mid-flight over a busy highway near Sunrise, Florida. After their attempt to contact ATC was left unanswered, a “hero pilot” responded to the call and took over, guiding them to safety.

The good Samaritan pilot (Summa), who is also a flight instructor, was on a cross-country flight nearby with a female student as they overheard the distress calls. The entire conversation was recorded on radio transmission, where Summa can be heard calmly directing the Highway I-75-bound plane while reassuring the pilot he was “looking good.”

Richard Lee: “Do you think it’s a good idea to land on the highway?”

Marcus Summa: “Yeah man, put it down wherever you got. You look good.”

Richard Lee: “Ok. F***, I’m so scared.”

Marcus Summa: “You’re looking, good man. Your approach looks good. I think you’re going to be fine. Did the engine just quit on you?”

Moments later you hear the small aircraft getting lower as Lee tries to eyeball landing right on I-75 near Mile Marker 37.

Richard Lee: “There are cars. There are lots of cars out.”

Marcus Summa: “Maintain a faster than normal airspeed so you have something to work with to put it down between cars. Put it down in front of them and they’ll see you and stop.”

Richard Lee: “I’ll try, I’ll try.”

Marcus Summa: “You’re looking good. Watch that truck.”

After some dipping and dodging, a big sigh of relief

Richard Lee: Yeah, I landed! I landed! I landed! We’re on the highway! We’re on the highway!

Marcus Summa: Alright, good landing, sir. I’m going to tell Miami you’re OK.

Summa continued on his cross-country flight. All in a day’s work.

“I think my student was more excited than I was at the time,” he laughed. Still hesitant to take much credit, Summa praised Lee for doing “a really great job executing an emergency landing. The plane was safe, the student was safe; there wasn’t even any damage to the aircraft.”

Summa said everyone reacts differently to stressful situations, and it bothers him to see comments below the news stories criticizing the Certified Flight Instructor “because he didn’t sound super confident.”

“It’s not our jobs as pilots to sound cool; it’s to ensure a safe outcome of the flight. It was very easy for me to sound calm from the safety of my own well-running aircraft,” he added.

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