Teen lands plane on Ocean City, NJ bridge

After 18-year-old Landon Lucas landed a small plane on the Route 52 Bridge between Ocean City and Somers Point on Monday afternoon, he texted his mother in Wyoming a photo of the plane next to a police car.

"Mom, I got pulled over," the text said.

Rita Lucas was driving and had not heard that he successfully guided the plane down after his plane had engine problems flying near the Steel Pier in Atlantic City. Rita told her son she needed a minute to absorb what was going on.

"He goes, 'while you're taking that minute maybe Google it.' And I did and I was like 'holy cow. What did you do now,'" Rita Lucas said.

'Jesus Take The Wheel'

Lucas Landon told his mother that for about five minutes he wasn't sure how things would end on Monday but this his training kicked in and said he was well prepared to handle the emergency.

"He said this is what the training was about. I've done simulators and things like that and a million things came together to make it happen right and he pretty much said 'Jesus take the wheel' and pulled it off," Rita Lucas said.

Lucas Landon expects to be flying again for Paramount after a few days off.

Banner Plane Lands on Ocean City Bridge

The 18-year-old pilot of a small banner plane that developed engine trouble made an emergency landing on the Route 52 Causeway Street bridge in Ocean City on July 19, 2021

'Jersey Shore' Didn't Scare Him Away

Landon Lucas was dual enrolled in high school in Cody, Wyoming and the aviation program at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming.

"He's pretty driven. When he decided to become a pilot he started on his 16th birthday, got his pilot license on his 17th birthday, got his commercial license on his 18th birthday," his mother said.

Lucas Landon graduated from college in May and then flew back in June for his high school graduation. In the meantime he accepted a job with Paramount Air Service in Ocean City as a way to accumulate solo flying hours. He's living in quarters at the airport.

"When he first said 'I got a job in New Jersey' we're like 'you can't go to New Jersey. That's the other end of the country.' I even downloaded a couple 'Jersey Shore' episodes for him to watch and he said he's still going," Rita Lucas said.

Lucas Landon and Rita Landon (Rita Landon)

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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