By Jill Sperling

Driver witnesses plane land on Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt

Apr 22, 2018 | 4:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — It was a bizarre sight for motorists travelling on the Coquihalla Highway Sunday afternoon, a small airplane landing in between the divided highway. 

Debra Sharkey was driving from Vancouver to Kamloops when she witnessed the Mustang II flying low above the highway approximately 10 km south of Merritt. 

“I’m watching him come lower, and lower, and lower, and then as I was coming around a corner and coming into a long gradual declining straight stretch I’m seeing him landing in the meridian between the two highways,” she said. 

Sharkey says she immediately slowed down, pulled over to the shoulder of the highway, and called out to the pilot. 

“Traffic was a little loud so I hollered at him and asked him if he was okay and he replied, ‘yes, I’m fine.’ He was proceeding to get out of his plane and get things together and I said, ‘well, do you need a ride somewhere?’ And he said, ‘no, I’ve got my cellphone and I’ve got some service, I’ll make a couple of calls, I’m all good, I’m not leaving my plane.’”

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Sharkey adds she doesn’t know what caused the pilot to bring the plane down on the highway, but it appeared to be in good shape. 

She later saw RCMP cruisers heading toward the sight where the plane landed. 

Merritt RCMP have yet to respond to a request for comment.