Track day and autocross events at Lime Rock Park, one of the prettiest race tracks in the world, were interrupted on Saturday, September 20, when a small plane made an emergency landing. According to the track’s Facebook page, the Cessna 172 then crashed into a barrier near turn six (West Bend). Fortunately, the pilot was unharmed, and the passenger only suffered minor injuries.
The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation, but the track called it a “mechanical failure.” Videos of the Cessna’s descent show that the propeller was not turning, likely indicating an engine failure. “I was there we saw it flying high then we heard the sputter they we’re probably gliding with no engine for about 5-8 minutes before they put it down,” commented one user in the track’s Facebook post.
It landed not on the paved track or autocross course, but in a grassy area between the Uphill and West Bend. While not the best place for a landing, the pilot avoided cars that were on the track and autocross courses at the time, keeping everyone on the ground as safe as possible. Options are also quite limited when you don’t have a working engine. Just ask the Space Shuttle. The plane then hit the crash barrier, went over the top, and came to a stop just on the other side. There were cars lapping the track at the time, but the barrier did its job well, despite being hit from the opposite side it was designed to be. The pilot joins a distinguished group of people who have crashed at Lime Rock, including a former Jalopnik editor. At least there were no houses to hit.
‘You can’t park there’
According to FlightAware, the Cessna was on its way from Poughkeepsie, New York, to Keene, New Hampshire. The plane was cruising at 6,600 feet when it suddenly began descending. The plane initially turned right from its intended flight path, perhaps heading toward U.S. Route 7, but soon turned left toward the track and circled it during a controlled unpowered descent.
We can’t be sure whether the pilot knew he was heading to a race track at first, but aside from an actual airport, it’s probably one of the best places to make an emergency landing. During events, emergency services are already there and constantly on alert for a crash. The long Sam Posey Straight would have made an excellent landing strip if the pilot had timed his descent to end there, but in a bit of a role reversal, cars on the track would have been going much faster than the plane. Even my slow Miata topped out at 115 mph on the straight. Landing away from people likely seemed the safest of the limited options.
The FAA investigation and recovery efforts continued into the night, according to a later Facebook post by the track. The airplane was partly dismantled and loaded onto a trailer to be removed from the Turn 6 area. According to the track:
Unfortunately, the Cessna 172 will not be staying in Turn 6 as a lawn ornament, sorry to disappoint all the fans and drivers who’ve asked us that question over the last 24hrs. Because ultimately you cant park there
Due to the rules that ban racing on Sundays, crews had plenty of time to recover afterward. While calling this a plane crash would make for a more clickbaity headline, it’s more like an emergency landing with a sudden stop at the end. Besides, as pilots say, any landing you can walk away from is a good one.
