A glider made an emergency landing on the shoulder of the A2 South Motorway in Carinthia on Saturday afternoon, just before the Italian border. According to the Carinthia State Police Directorate, the two people on board were unharmed. They were identified as a 62-year-old Austrian pilot and a woman. The motor glider had taken off from Klagenfurt Airport and was apparently on a sightseeing flight.
Due to technical problems, the pilot decided to make an emergency landing, a police spokesperson told APA. There was neither property damage nor injuries. The highway was temporarily closed, causing traffic disruptions in the direction of Klagenfurt.
“Couldn’t believe my eyes”
According to police, the aircraft landed within the municipality of Stossau, which belongs to Hohenthurn (District of Villach Land). The emergency landing occurred shortly before 4:00 p.m., according to the ÖAMTC. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when the report came in,” said ÖAMTC traffic expert Marc Römer in a statement. “At first I thought it had to be a mistake, but it quickly became clear: a plane had actually landed on the highway.”
Traffic was initially redirected past the aircraft between Hermagor and Arnoldstein. The fire department towed the plane away at around 4:20 p.m., and cars were able to pass slowly in single file.
A traffic jam of about three kilometers formed. The highway operator Asfinag announced around 5:00 p.m. that the aircraft had been removed and the lane was open again. The congestion gradually cleared.
