Incredible moment single-engine plane pilot forced to make emergency landing in the middle of a highway in North Carolina after suffering engine failure
- The single-engine plane went down on US Route 19 in Swain County on July 3
- At the time, there were two people on board the plane, and there were no reports of injuries
- The crash landing was related to engine failure, pilot Vicente Fraser said
- He was checking out a purchased property near Fontana Lake with his father-in-law at the time of the incident
- The plane had to avoid traffic and cars moving in both directions on the highway
By Alistair Talbot for Dailymail.Com
Posted: 00:50, 8 July 2022 | Updated: 07:55, July 8, 2022
A camera attached to a small plane in North Carolina shows the dramatic moment its pilot was forced to make an emergency landing on an interstate over the July 4 weekend.
The single-engine plane — believed to be an Aero Commander 100 — went down on US Route 19 near a bridge in Swain County on July 3 around 11:45 a.m., the local sheriff’s office said.
No injuries were reported, according to local media.
The pilot of the plane said the emergency landing was related to engine failure and that his father-in-law was in the plane at the time when they were looking at a property they had purchased near Fontana Lake.
“I started going through my checklist and I was able to get the plane to restart and kind of fly a little bit, but it would only fly for 3 to 5 seconds and then it would come back and start going down again,” pilot Vincent Fraser told WMYA.
WATCH: New video shows a plane making an emergency landing on a highway in Swain County Sunday morning. Hear from the pilot tonight on @WLOS_13 at 5 & 6!
Video courtesy of Vincent Fraser. pic.twitter.com/hcxOGUUGgP
— Andrew James (@AndrewJamesNews) July 7, 2022
A single-engine plane was recorded by a dash cam making an emergency landing on US-19 in Swain County, North Carolina on June 3 around 11:45 a.m. after engine failure. Two people were on board, but no injuries were reported
The monoplane had to avoid freeway traffic and cars moving in both directions to ensure a safe landing
Pilot Vincent Fraser (pictured) from Florida said he was checking out a property he had purchased with his father-in-law near Fontana Lake at the time of the horrific incident
The video shows the monoplane descending steadily down the highway as Fraser looks for a small gap between cars to avoid causing a dangerous accident.
The main road turned out to be his best landing option considering it was the only piece of flat land in an otherwise mountainous area.
“By the grace of God, I looked to the left and you couldn’t see it before because, you know, it’s all just valleys and mountains, but there’s a road — this road I ended up right there, perfectly lined up,” Frazier told WMYA.
The emergency landing (pictured on Sunday) was first reported to authorities as a plane crash
The terrifying experience came almost a year after the Florida native received his private pilot’s license in October. Fraser also has less than 100 hours of flight experience.
During the emergency landing, authorities said they initially received 911 calls from drivers reporting a plane crash.
“The call came in as a plane crash, so we’re very thankful it wasn’t because the circumstances would have been very different,” Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran told The Smoky Mountains Times.
He added that “the pilot put the plane into oncoming traffic right over the power lines and there was a car coming.”
Twitter users reacted with disbelief to shared footage of the small plane’s crash landing
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is currently investigating the incident, the official concluded.
Footage of the crash landing on Twitter has more than 1,000 likes, with some users still in disbelief.
“Just trying to imagine what it would be like to drive and mind my own business and all of a sudden a plane lands in my lane in front of me,” wrote one user.
Another shared: “Holly damn it. Can you imagine being a driver?’
“Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee they Barely missed the power lines at the end,” one Twitter user reacted.
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