A Lincoln County Deputy helps a helicopter pilot refuel after an emergency landing on US 51. Image courtesy: Lincoln County Sheriff's Department.
MERRILL, WI (WSAU) — Just when you think you’ve seen it all in law enforcement, something like this happens.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a Tomahawk man on Friday who was out testing his new gyro-copter when he began to run low on fuel, forcing him to land on the site of US Highway 51 near the intersection with County Road S. Lieutenant Grant Peterson says there’s nothing in the book on how to deal with these situations, making it a learning experience for both his staff and the pilot.
“This was a new vehicle for him,” said Peterson. “I think there were some discrepancies in the amount of fuel in the aircraft compared to what [the gauges] said it had. There were some issues there and that’s why he ended up coming up short.”
He credits the pilot’s experience with helping to make the situation go smoothly, saying he was able to safely land by himself and get over to the side of the road to minimize traffic disruptions. Officers gave him a ride to the nearest gas station where he was able to fill up some gas containers and top off his tank before taking off for home.
No one was injured in the incident.
Peterson adds that this was a first for him in nearly 30 years of law enforcement, and he doesn’t know that he’ll ever see something like this again. “This is not something that we normally train for. I hope it won’t happen again, and honestly, I don’t know that there’s anything I can apply for the next time other than I’m going to make sure that he’s fueled up if I’m going to ride with him.
“The pilot, who was well-experienced, did very well with the situation,” he added.
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