I asked ChatGPT to rephrase the story while staying 100% true to the original content. It's not as good.

On a routine Monday morning commute from Carmel to Palo Alto at 6:00 AM, I faced a stark reminder that everything has limits. My engine failed shortly after takeoff.

As I passed over the coastal range, the engine sputtered, forcing me to declare an emergency on Apple’s campus frequency. “Can you make San Jose?” Air Traffic Control asked when I issued my mayday call. “Negative,” I responded, scanning my surroundings. Silence engulfed the cabin. My choice was stark: glide towards a cluster of buildings or aim for the freeway that, from above, appeared serene but was actually filled with a sea of headlights—a rush of commuters already on their way. The highway wasn’t an inviting sight, yet it was the only option. A sparse section of the northbound lane caught my eye, wedged between packed lanes. Counting down the moments, I aimed for it and approached the landing.

I dumped the flaps, the plane’s frame slicing through the air as I prepared to touch down on the freeway—a precarious strip of concrete. The craft hit the ground, bucking and shaking as it settled. Miraculously, I avoided speeding cars and barriers. Two SUVs passed dangerously close. Planting firmly on asphalt, not sand, I brought my wife and child safely to a stop.

I opened the door, stepping out to solid ground. Unexpectedly, an armed, un-uniformed man appeared, halting traffic to keep us safe as we maneuvered my craft out of danger. Sirens approached, but no one was hurt. Grateful, I watched as first responders, a damaged police car hit by a distracted motorist, and mechanics from Palo Alto arrived. The plane was removed, not in the majestic way it was meant to, but unceremoniously lifted from a flatbed truck. “Hold the brakes!” the tow truck driver yelled, ensuring my plane didn’t shift during the move. Meeting me there were my wife and my mother.

Ultimately, I had only myself to blame. I may have assumed I had enough fuel, and my gauges might have shown it was full. We are limited by our choices, and I had missed precautions that might have prevented this. That was the consequence. Had this occurred three minutes earlier over the Santa Cruz Mountains, the results would have been drastically different.