A small plane was forced to land on Pacific Avenue in Spanaway Thursday morning after a "fuel system malfunction."
Trooper Clint Thompson saw the plane quickly losing altitude.
"To the point of, 'Okay, that's really close to the ground. I think he's trying to land it on State Route 7," Thompson said.
The trooper pulled a u-turn and flipped his lights on to give the pilot just enough room to land safely.
The plane landed between on Pacific Avenue (State Route 7) near 138th Street, according to Washington State Patrol.
The single-prop KR2 plane landed safely at approximately 8:15 a.m., according to Trooper Johnna Batiste.
After landing, Trooper Thompson said instinct took over.
"You kind of knock on the window, like 'Sir, do you know what I pulled you over for," Thompson said. "I think that was more instinctive just to get his attention."
The pilot, David Acklam uses this small, experimental aircraft to commute to his job at Boeing, Washington State Patrol said. He told investigators he experienced some type of engine failure and was forced to land quickly.
There were no injuries.
"WSP had no prior knowledge of the pilot's complications," Batiste tweeted. "After 21 years with the patrol, this is a first for him."
From here the Federal Aviation Administration will take over the investigation.