Updated 10:04 AM EDT, Thu, Mar 28, 2024

Puerto Rican Pilot Lands Plane Near McDonald's For Coffee

  • +
  • -
  • Sign up to receive the lastest news from LATINONE

What was thought to be an aircraft accident in Puerto Rico, turned out to be a pilot craving McDonald's coffee, last Tuesday.

A pilot of a small plane in the country decided to take a side trip and landed his aircraft at the McDonald's restaurant, located in the northern town of Hatilo, reported Fox News.

The Puerto Rican police confirmed that the plane landed in a grassy area near the fast-food chain in order to get a hot sip of coffee, along with his passenger.

Authorities also mentioned in the Fox News report that men from the Puerto Rico Joint Forces of Rapid Action or FURA, were called to the site with the assumption that there was an accident involving a small plane.

"We thought it was an accident, but they said they're used to doing it. They land in the grassy area. They said that they left the (Arecibo) airport and landed there to get coffee," one of the FURA agents said.

Later on, the police identified the plane owner and pilot as Rodolfo Rivera, while his passenger was Jose Torres. The two were not arrested. They only talked to FURA agents and then continued with their scheduled trip.

The authorities may have been on the alert for these kinds of accidents since a small plane also crashed in San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital, this March.

An Associated Press report published by Yahoo Sports said that there were no casualties during the crash. 

It noted that the two-engine plane, named Piper Geronimo, was en route to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, when its engine failed, causing it to crash into the Condado Lagoon.

"The pilot is very experienced. As soon as he realized he was having problems he looked for the lagoon," said operations director for Puerto Rico's Emergency Management Agency Oscar Sotomayor.

People near the area reportedly rushed into the crash site to provide assistance to Rafael Augusto Pesquera, the pilot and his passenger, Ramon Garriga Ortiz.

In 2012, a vintage cargo plane also crashed near the country's international airport, killing the airline's owner and a crew member.

CNS News said the plane had engine trouble prior to its crash. Luiz Munoz Marin Airport spokesperson, Juan Rivera, said the aircraft was returning to the airport when the accident happened.

This plane reportedly makes 15 trips a week to deliver bread to the islands of the Caribbean and during the crash, it was loaded with 1,134 kilograms of bread.

© 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
  • Sign up to receive the lastest news from LATINONE
Close

Curiosidades

Real Time Analytics