ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- An experienced pilot landed his single-engine plane on U.S. Highway Monday afternoon when the plane apparently ran out of gas before reaching the St. Augustine airport.

Pilot Tom Shappell was headed from Pennsylvania to Key Largo on a fishing vacation and was planning to refuel in St. Augustine when his engine cut out just over four miles form the airport.

"When I declared an emergency and I told them 'I'm taking the highway,' I had to choose my spot between a car and a truck," Shappell said. "That was my mail goal, not to hurt anybody and get the airplane down."

Shappell said that while he avoiding the vehicles on the highway, but one wing hit a road sign, spinning the aircraft off the road and it wound up in a drainage culvert.

Shappell, who has 45 years flying experience, was not hurt. He said he believes he had a fuel leak that caused the plane to run out of gas before reaching the airport.

One southbound lane of U.S. 1 was closed just north of the St. Augustine while emergency equipment responded to the downed plane. About two hours later, the plane was put on a flatbed truck and moved to the airport and all lanes of the highway were reopened.

Asked what he was going to do after his extended layover in St. Augusitne, Shappell said: "I'm going fishing."