The incident involving a small plane making an emergency landing on a highway near a North Carolina airport has left authorities and witnesses amazed at the lack of injuries. The single-engine Lancair 360 was forced to land after experiencing engine problems near Raleigh Executive Jetport at Sanford-Lee County Airport. The pilot, who was the only person on board, managed to safely land the plane on U.S. Route 1 without deploying the landing gear, causing the aircraft to land on its belly. Fortunately, the plane struck two SUVs during the landing, but only one vehicle sustained minor damage and no injuries were reported. The Federal Aviation Administration will be conducting an investigation into the incident to determine the cause of the engine failure.
Chief Robert Shi of the Moncure Fire Department expressed gratitude that the incident only resulted in property damage and did not cause any injuries. Given the heavy traffic on U.S. Route 1 during the time of the landing, the situation could have been much worse. The pilot cited a prop failure that led to engine failure as the reason for the emergency landing. Witness accounts of the incident described the plane flying unusually low without landing gear, with one witness mistaking it for a strange-looking car from a distance. Despite the close call, there were no reports of a major explosion or significant damage caused by the emergency landing.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol confirmed that only one driver filed a report regarding the incident, which took place around 4:20 p.m. Thursday. Chris Sealey, a witness to the plane landing, described the moment he saw the aircraft flying just 3 feet above the ground without much time to spare. He noted that the traffic in the area was disrupted by the sudden landing, but there was no major panic or chaos following the incident. The plane, which was en route from Lynchburg, Virginia, to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, was tracked by FlightAware, a flight activity monitoring service. The pilot’s quick thinking and skillful landing prevented a potentially disastrous situation, ensuring the safety of both the pilot and others on the ground.
Local authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing of the Lancair 360 on U.S. Route 1. The FAA’s investigation will likely focus on the cause of the engine failure that forced the pilot to make the emergency landing. The incident has raised concerns about safety measures for small aircraft and the potential risks involved in emergency landings on highways. Despite the close call with two vehicles on the road, the quick actions of the pilot prevented a catastrophic accident and resulted in minimal damage. As the investigation progresses, more details may emerge regarding the events leading up to the emergency landing and the factors contributing to the engine failure experienced by the plane.
