Small plane with 7 on board makes 'hard landing' on Virginia highway
No injuries have been reported, according to police.
ByEmily Shapiro and Clara McMichaelJanuary 19, 2024, 3:49 PM
A small plane landed on the Loudoun County Parkway in Loudoun County, Virginia, on Friday afternoon, and all seven people on board escaped uninjured, according to the Virginia State Police and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA said the single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan made a "hard landing" on the road around 12:50 p.m. after taking off from Virginia's Dulles International Airport around 12:15 p.m. The plane was en route to Lancaster Airport in Pennsylvania at the time, the FAA said.
The pilot, co-pilot and five passengers -- four adults and a 15-year-old boy -- all survived without injury, police said.
The only damage was to the parkway's guardrail, police said.
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Driver Jesse Labell told Washington, D.C., ABC affiliate WJLA the plane flew about 20 feet above him before landing just 30 feet ahead of him on the road.
Labell said no cars were in front of him at the time.He praised the pilot's "phenomenal landing in an emergency," noting that the plane avoided large power lines, cars and trees.
Labell said the plane's passengers were clearly in shock, but OK.
"We are relieved to report there were no injuries," Stan Little, CEO of the airline, Southern Airways, said in a statement to WJLA. "We are thankful to our pilots, who did exactly what they were trained to do -- to put the safety of our passengers first. We are working closely with the authorities to thoroughly investigate the situation."
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
ABC News' Davone Morales contributed to this report.