ONLY ON 48: Pilot details his emergency landing on Redstone Arsenal

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - A Huntsville pilot declared an in-flight emergency Thursday after oil began leaking from his aircraft minutes after takeoff, forcing him to land on Martin Road with a nearly obscured windshield.

Dennis Dunaway was flying with his friend and son on a routine trip from Huntsville to Florida when the oil leak began. He immediately contacted air traffic controllers.

“Approach N78PL, we’re going to declare an emergency, return to Huntsville,” Dunaway said in air traffic audio.

The leaking oil quickly coated the windshield, leaving Dunaway with limited forward visibility. As the engine continued to fail, he determined he would not reach the runway.

“Maintain our altitude; I’m afraid we’re going to lose our engine,” he told controllers.

Dunaway, a former Army Black Hawk pilot with more than 40 years of flight experience, initially aimed for Redstone Arsenal.

“The first thought is Redstone’s closer, so I’m going there,” he said. “The biggest problem from the beginning was visibility. Couldn’t see out the front.”

With the engine dying and the runway out of reach, Dunaway set the aircraft down on Martin Road, aiming for the center to avoid trees and oncoming traffic.

“Shooting for the middle because I couldn’t see, so I knew I didn’t want to get my wing into the trees. I didn’t want to land in oncoming traffic,” he said.

Dunaway said the timing of the landing was critical.

“If we would have continued on 30 more seconds and the engine did it, we would be in the trees, we wouldn’t have made it to Redstone, we wouldn’t even had a place to go,” he said.

Dunaway credited his military background for his composure during the emergency. He also said it helped having his friend, who also has many years of flying under his belt, and his son, who is getting his license.

“Being upset is not going to help you get on the ground right, so my mission changed from flying to the next airport and making sure all that handled, to get the aircraft on the ground safely with the passengers — so that was my mission,” he said.

Reflecting on the landing, Dunaway said the gravity of the situation has set in.

“The good lord was with us that day,” he said.

Dunaway said news of the incident spread quickly, with people from outside the United States reaching out.

“It’s amazing. It’s like wildfire. People from outside the U.S. already contact people saying, ‘Hey, I heard about this, how are you guys?’” he said.

Dunaway said the emergency landing will not keep him out of the cockpit.

“I fly with my kids, I’m ready to go flying again and fly with my grandson,” he said.

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