Posted: 00:50, 8 July 2022 | Updated: 07:55, 8 July 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 highway over the Fourth of July weekend.
The single-engine aircraft — believed to be an Aero Commander 100 — went down on U.S. Route 19 near a bridge in Swain County on July 3 around 11:45 a.m., the local county sheriff’s office said.
No injuries were reported, according to local media.
The pilot of the plane said the forced landing was due to engine failure and that his father-in-law was in the plane at the time, viewing a property he bought near Lake Fontana.
“I started going through my checklist and was able to get the aircraft to restart and fly a little bit, but it would only fly for 3 to 5 seconds and then it would go down and start to sink again.” pilot Vincent Fraser told WMYA.
WATCH: New video shows a plane make an emergency landing on a Swain County highway Sunday morning. Listen to 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 aircraft was caught on board camera making an emergency landing on US-19 in Swain County, North Carolina on June 3 at around 11:45 a.m. after engine failure. Two people were on board, although no injuries were reported
The monoplane had to avoid freeway traffic and avoid cars going in both directions to ensure a safe landing
Pilot Vincent Fraser (pictured), from Florida, said he was checking out a property he had bought with his father-in-law near Lake Fontana at the time of the terrifying incident
The video shows the monoplane steadily descending the freeway as Fraser searched for a small gap between the cars to avoid causing a dangerous crash.
The main road ended up being the best landing option since it was the only piece of flat land in an otherwise mountainous area.
“By the grace of God, I looked to my left and you couldn’t see it before because, you know, it’s just all valleys and mountains, but there’s a road — that road that I landed on right there, perfectly lined up” , Fraser told WMYA.
The emergency landing (pictured on Sunday) was initially reported as a plane crash by authorities
The terrifying experience came nearly a year after the Florida native received his private pilot’s license in October. Fraser also has less than 100 hours of flight experience.
At the time of the emergency landing, authorities said they initially received 911 calls from motorists 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 brought the plane down in oncoming traffic right over the power lines and a car was coming.”
Twitter users reacted with disbelief to shared footage of the small plane’s emergency landing
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is currently investigating the incident, the officer 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 along to work and suddenly a plane lands in my lane in front of me,” one user wrote.
Another shared: “Holly Hell. Can you imagine being a driver?’
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