Photo originally published Dec. 8, 1978.

Drivers on Hwy. 55 near Hastings had some unexpected company on a Friday morning when a twin-engine cargo plane made an emergency landing, grazing a garbage truck in the process.

No one was hurt, but the State Patrol said the driver of the truck saw the plane starting to land, pulled over and dove to safety from the cab. His quick thinking likely saved him from serious injury — one of the plane's fuel tanks smashed into the windshield.

The plane remained parked on the two-lane highway and traffic was rerouted until the Federal Aviation Administration could determine why the pilot made the forced landing.

Nicole Hvidsten