Terrifying video shows the moment a plane crashed onto a teeming highway and collided with a vehicle, injuring the driver.
At 5:45 p.m. local time on Monday, Dec. 8, a “fixed-wing multi-engine aircraft” crashed into the southbound lane of I-95 in Cocoa Beach, FL. The plane collided with a 2023 Toyota Camry which was traveling in the same lane. Dashcam footage from another vehicle shows the plane touching down on the highway as it attempted an emergency landing before rear-ending the Camry, sending a cloud of smoke and sparks into the surrounding area. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the 57-year-old female driver suffered minor injuries in the scary incident and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Identities of Pilot, Passenger, and Victim Have Not Been Released
The plane was piloted by a 27-year-old man from Orlando. His passenger, also a 27-year-old man, is from Temple Terrace. The identities of both plane passengers, as well as that of the female victim, have not been released. Neither the pilot nor his passenger were injured in the accident, and both remained on the scene throughout the preliminary investigation.
Witnesses Described ‘Troubling’ Scene
Jim Coffey, who witnessed the crash alongside his son, Peter Coffey, told Spectrum News 13, “We just saw this plane drop out of the sky.” Coffey said the plane was mere moments away from crashing into his own vehicle, but he managed to avoid catastrophe. “I noticed it was there, because there’s a plane right there, I was like, ‘Hopefully it lands to the side,” Peter said. “I thought it might maybe aim around and not hit the car, but bam, the wheel just smacked right dab on the back of the car.”
“Fortunately, the car didn’t roll, it kind of mashed and went to the side,” Jim said.
‘We Could Have Died’
“I was pretty terrified for the moment, thinking both of us could roll down that hill because there was an embankment,” Jim told Fox 35 Orlando. “It was troubling. The more we think about it, we can’t believe it was so close.” “We could have died,” Peter added. “That could have gone a lot worse. It hit me a day later that I’m really thankful it didn’t end badly.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the emergency landing incident, while the FHP is leading the investigation into the collision itself. The owners of the plane confirmed that there was no jet fuel spillage on the highway.
