Originally Posted by
Fostex
Jokes aside, anyone who would land their aircraft on a highway when there is a field within the same glide endurance is an idiot and a dangerous one. If one experiences engine failure in an SEP the first duty of care is to avoid injuring those on the ground, then to your passengers and self. The preservation of the hull in which you are flying is by far last in line.
As a blanket statement, I disagree, A field may be better but a highway be better as well. Fields can be soft leading to a flipover(the risk of which cannot be mitigated by retracting the gear on many aircraft). Fields can be rough, and they can have many hidden hazards that only come into view when closer to the field and can easily be much rougher than they appear. However, highways can have their own hazards aside from vehicles including wires and obstacles. Highways these days actually have few vehicle on them.
I would never automatically eliminate a highway as an option but it is worth considering the reason you gave for personally making your choice. There are hazards to each option.
Listen to this pilot starting at 22:30 on the hazard of powerlines when landing on a highway.
https://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/1/2/e/12e...7a693278232322