Seriously though, Snopes said he was trying to land in the street without engine power. Dead stick landings aren't simple, but they are done successfully more often than not. Usually failure involves landing long or short, not missing your target wide.
Hopefully the pilot learned from this experience, and hopefully he isn't flying over roads that I travel on (although the road may be safer place to be based on the picture).
There's an old driving instructor's maxim that you hit what you are looking at. The idea is that you should concentrate on the gap, not the obstruction. It may well be this guy was concentrating a bit too much on the tree!
Cheers
Greg Locock
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
Another source said that the pilot was trying for a dead stick landing on the road, but a car got in the way and he had to take avoiding action. He was essentially uninjured.
