WATCH: US plane crash lands on busy highway in Georgia, hitting several vehicles
Gainesville plane crash: The small plane crash landed on a busy highway in the US state of Georgia, hitting several vehicles before coming to a stop.
A small aircraft crashed into multiple vehicles during an emergency landing on a busy road in the US state of Georgia on Monday, after the pilot was unable to return to the airport due to engine trouble, police said.
According to authorities, the pilot of the single-engine training aircraft was forced to land on a crowded street in Gainesville after the plane did not have enough power to make it back to the airport. A video of the incident, widely shared on social media, showed the aircraft touching down on the road before colliding with several vehicles.
Police said several people suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Explaining how the collision occurred, police said that after landing, the aircraft’s right wing clipped a vehicle, causing the plane’s fuel tank to come loose and “went into the rear of the SUV and into the vehicle”.
Following the crash, the road was shut and residents were warned to expect extended traffic delays. The National Transportation Safety Board said the aircraft had been flying from Gainesville’s Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport to Cherokee County Regional Airport in Canton when the incident occurred.
“Shortly after departure, the pilot experienced problems with the engine and elected to turn back towards Gainesville to land there,” the NTSB said.
"The airplane didn’t have enough power to make it to the airport, so the pilot made a forced landing on a roadway, where the plane struck three vehicles.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot of the Hawker Beechcraft BE 36 made the emergency landing due to engine issues reported around 12:10 pm local time. FAA officials added that the agency will investigate the incident.
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