A small airplane clipped a semi truck as it emergency landed in Florida on Monday afternoon.
The accident happened on January 31st in Flagler County, Florida.
According to News4JAX, the aircraft lost power and the pilot was forced to attempt an emergency landing on the northbound lanes of Interstate 95. As the pilot attempted the maneuver, the plane’s wing collided with a semi truck on the interstate, which redirected the plane towards the nearby trees.
The plane flipped over as it landed, but the pilot and co-pilot were able to exit the plane on their own with only minor injuries. No other injuries were reported.
Flagler County Plane Crash: 95 northbound @ MM279. Emergency Landing on interstate. Struck semi and redirected into tree line. Minor injury to pilot and co-pilot. pic.twitter.com/wJNAzPtTaG
— FHPJacksonville (@FHPJacksonville) January 31, 2022
Witnesses say pieces of the plane were left scattered along the highway and passerbys stopped to check on the pilot and help remove the debris to avoid potential traffic incidents.
“The airplane never made it above about 800 feet, which isn’t unusual. Certainly not illegal or unsafe. However, when you’re flying at a low altitude when the engine quits, you have very few options,” said aviation analyst and attorney Ed Booth. “And such was the case today.”
“The Interstate is a suitable landing field because last time I was on the interstate, everyone was going about 80 miles an hour, and that happens to be the touchdown speed of a single engine airplane with the engine not operating,” Booth explained. “There aren’t a lot of electrical wires going across the interstate highway and so pilots over the years have made many successful forced landings.”