On Boulder Road in Cheshire, neighbors are accustomed to turtles crossing. They were shocked when an unexpected visitor made a stop on the street. A father and son were making their way from New Bedford, Massachusetts to the Oxford Airport when they experienced engine trouble. The 25-year-old son, who was piloting the plane, made an emergency landing right in Gilbert Lassen’s yard.
"I couldn’t believe it. I called 911 and they were like ‘a plane in your lawn?’" said Lassen.
The plane landed, hit a snow bank and toppled over, but Lassen didn’t hear a thing till he got a knock on his door.
"They were pretty shaken up. I was startled myself so uh, they crash a plane and it’s like a hundred feet from my house," said Lassen.
Authorities say it’s surprising and a bit miraculous, but neither the father nor the son had a scratch on them. They think the pilot’s experience and the snow lessened the blow.
"It appears that the snow definitely helped. He was able to put the plane down, and it seems the snow softened his fall," said Cheshire Police Lt. Jim Fasano.
The FAA is investigating the crash and came out to Cheshire to disassemble the plane and take it out of the yard.
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With the plane now taken apart, Lassen says the two people on board felt lucky to be alive.
"They were thanking God, that’s for sure," he said.
