Drunk pilot arrested after landing plane on interstate, officials say

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — An intoxicated pilot was arrested after landing a small aircraft early Friday on Interstate 70 southeast of Kansas City, Missouri, after radioing that he had run out of fuel, authorities said.

The landing about 2:30 a.m. east of Grain Valley, roughly 20 miles southeast of Kansas City, closed westbound lanes of the highway for more than 2 1/2 hours, KCTV reported.

The plane had a “minor collision” with a guardrail but otherwise didn’t hit anything, the Missouri State Highway Patrol tweeted.

The pilot was the only person on board. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment after his arrest, the patrol said.

Online records showed that the single-engine plane was 19 minutes into its flight from Warrensburg, which is about 20 miles southeast of the landing site.

The patrol said the pilot radioed that he had run out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing on the highway.