- Small plane crash-landed on I-95, striking a Toyota Camry roof.
- The Camry driver had minor injuries but survived the impact.
- FAA is now investigating the cause of the engine failure.
What began as a typical rush-hour drive on Florida’s I-95 took a jarring turn when a small aircraft crash-landed on the highway, slamming into a passing Toyota sedan. For the 57-year-old woman behind the wheel, an ordinary commute came dangerously close to ending in disaster.
The incident occurred on Monday at around 5:45 pm and was captured on dashcam footage from a nearby vehicle. Moments earlier, the pilot of the Beechcraft 55 had reported a loss of power in both engines before attempting the emergency landing.
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The footage shows the dramatic moment when the aircraft dipped sharply over the interstate before striking the rear of a sedan. After briefly bouncing off the car’s roof, the plane lost its landing gear and slid along the highway until it came to a stop against the central barrier.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the 57-year-old driver of the sedan suffered non-life-threatening injuries that were treated at a nearby hospital. The 27-year-old pilot and his passenger walked away from the wreckage unharmed.
Photos of the aftermath show the extent of the damage on the tail and roof of the 2023 Toyota Camry, which is obviously a write-off. However, things could have been much worse if the wheels of the aircraft had landed closer to the driver’s side.
The crash occurred during a busy commute period, increasing the potential for a multi-vehicle incident. Fortunately, the impact was limited to a single vehicle, without any casualties. The police closed off lanes of the interstate to clean it of the debris. The road opened again at around 9 am.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the cause of the mechanical failure.
A Second Crash the Same Day
Interestingly, this was not the only plane crash in Florida on Monday. As reported by Fox 35 Orlando, another small plane landed on a roadway in DeLand, with two people onboard sustaining injuries.
Though dramatic, emergency landings on roads are more frequent than they appear. When small aircraft lose power or run out of fuel, pilots will sometimes opt to land on long, straight sections of highway, especially in states like Florida and California where general aviation is common.
Pilots are trained to prioritize open space and minimize risk to people on the ground, which is why the majority of these are controlled landings on empty sections of the highway. Incidents where a plane actually collides with a moving car remain exceedingly rare.
