A small plane made an emergency landing on the North Spokane Corridor on Saturday afternoon after one of the plane’s two fuel tanks ran out of fuel in the air, according to the Washington State Patrol.
No injuries were reported.
The private plane, which held two passengers, departed Felts Field before losing radio contact with the airport, according to officials.
The aircraft landed on the freeway between Wellesley, milepost 161, and Freya Street, the Patrol said on the social platform X at about 1:30 p.m.
Initially, there was a suspected engine failure, said Trooper Cole Jackson. But Federal Aviation Administration officials found the empty fuel tank to be the issue.
Within a couple of hours of landing, FAA officials had the plane up and running again, and it took off for Felts Field at 3:19 p.m.
Lanes in both directions were closed between Wellesley and Freya as officials assessed options to get the plane off the roadway. The southbound lanes ultimately doubled as a runway.