Ballplayer catches break when plane fouls Filed: 02/18/2000

The Bakersfield Californian

SAN DIEGO (AP)  A minor league catcher with the Cleveland Indians organization landed his airplane Friday on a busy freeway after experiencing engine trouble.

Matt Nokes, 36, landed his Lancer 4 on Interstate 15 in northern San Diego County after he lost oil pressure, said Larri Dillard, a regional operations officer for the Federal Aviation Administration.

There were no injuries and no damage to the plane caused by the landing, Dillard said.

Nokes had taken off from Palomar Airport in Carlsbad. He said he didn't know what caused the plane's engines to suddenly start to fail, but he couldn't wait to reach the nearest airport.

"I went south, hovered over some cars and waited until they cleared," he said.

Nokes, an 11-year major league veteran, signed a minor league contract last month with the Indians. He played the last two seasons in the Northern League with the St. Paul Saints.

Nokes played for San Francisco, Detroit, the New York Yankees, Baltimore and Colorado from 1985-95, compiling a .254 average with 136 homers and 422 RBIs. He was an American League All-Star in 1987 with the Tigers and runner-up to Mark McGwire in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. link

http://www.bakersfield.com/cal/i--1261217900.asp

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 20, 2000

Answers

These days, when driving, look forward, left, right, around, behind, and ^up^ to drive defensively.

-- good driver (adds@to.skills), February 20, 2000.

And also one on the beach in N San Diego county, Saturday.

-- Sheri (wncy2k@nccn.net), February 20, 2000.

You should've been there when the F-14 made an emergency landing in the northbound lanes. All well and good until somebody didn't look in their mirror and pull over to let the jet go by. That little Datsun pickup's rear bumper was no match for the Tomcat, but the impact put the Tomcat into the gaurdrail and destroyed it.

Adds meaning to the phrase "Check six!"

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), February 20, 2000.

"He said he didn't know what caused the plane's engines to suddenly start to fail, but he couldn't wait to reach the nearest airport."

Sounds like an embedded chip problem to me.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), February 20, 2000.

My best friend was killed 8 years ago trying to land a Thrush Ayres spray plane on the Interstate just north of Reno after his engine went to shit. Oil and smoke prevented him from having a good view of traffic and he ended up hitting a van and killing the female driver. His plane came to a stop in the west bound lanes but caught fire shortly afterward. He was alive while they were trying to get him out but the flames became to intense and he died screaming for help. This vision will haunt me the rest of the years I continue to fly as an air applicator.

-- John Thomas (cjseed@webtv.net), February 20, 2000.

Hawk is driving down the road, and the engine quits. He calls for a tow truck and tells the driver that it must be an embedded chip.

The tow truck driver laughs, puts in a gallon of gas and starts up the engine. He then charges Hawk $5 for the gas and $50 for the call.

-- Mikey2k (mikey2k@he.wont.eat.it), February 20, 2000.

MEMO

TO: Matt Nokes FROM: Season Ticket Holder

Maybe you wouldn't have had this mishap if you were where you belonged. Pitchers and catchers were scheduled to report on Friday, all right....in Winter Haven, FLORIDA !!!!!

-- Daisy Jane (deeekstrand@access1.com), February 21, 2000.

In 1959 I had a successful forced landing in an aircraft built in 1945. I guess I should have checked for imbedded chips before takeoff

-- Roy (bushwhacker@north woods.com), February 21, 2000.