A small plane that shocked commuters by making an emergency landing on Calgary’s 36 Street N.E. disrupted traffic for several hours Wednesday.
The plane, which had been sitting across the two-lane road for most of the day, had been moved and traffic was flowing as of 3:15 p.m.
WATCH: Many commuters did a double take Wednesday morning after a plane had to make an emergency landing on a Calgary roadway. Tracy Nagai reports.
Calgary police spokesperson Sgt. Duane Lepchuk said the twin-engine plane came down shortly before 6 a.m. about five kilometres south of the airport near the Trans-Canada Highway.
The plane was coming in from the south, heading to the Calgary airport, when it radioed it was running low on fuel, police said.
WATCH: Timeline details when small plane made emergency landing in Calgary.
In an air traffic control recording obtained by Global News, the pilot of the plane can be heard saying over the radio she’s having trouble with a fuel pump.
“On arrival to Calgary… I’ve just lost the right fuel pump,” the pilot is heard saying.
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None of the four passengers and two crew members was hurt.
The four passengers on the plane were employees of Connacher Oil and Gas and were on their way to work at an oilsands facility in the Fort McMurray area, according to company CEO Merle Johnson.
All four have been given the week off work.
The owner of the Piper Navajo aircraft, Super T Aviation of Medicine Hat, Alta., said in a press release the plane lost power, but it’s not known why.
Andrew Greig, who witnessed the landing, said he was on his way to work when he heard a loud noise and looked up to see the small plane flying just above his truck.
“I’m going to say it was about eight to 10 feet above us. When he came right above us … you could feel the plane, the whole truck was vibrating,” Greig said.
Greig said he stopped and called 911 and was told emergency crews were on their way.
“I did see two or three people get out of the plane and they walked out pretty normally,” Greig said. “I didn’t quite run up to it… to give them their space, but it seemed like everyone was okay and minimal damage.
“Whoever was flying did a very good job without hitting anything.”
Lepchuk said there was minimal traffic on the street at the time and there were no reports of drivers having to swerve to miss the plane.
WATCH: Mike Adam from the Transportation Safety Board details the investigation into the emergency landing of an airplane on a Calgary road.
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
The plane was towed to the Calgary International Airport Wednesday night.
Daryl Medd, president of Rangeland Truck and Crane Ltd., said this was one of the more unusual jobs his company has had to tackle and complimented the pilot’s handling of the situation.
“I know the pilot personally on this. She’s amazing,” he said. “She is right up there with Captain Sully, the miracle on the Hudson. It’s the miracle on 36 street.”
With files from the Canadian Press
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