A small plane came dangerously close to disaster Saturday when it swooped down onto a busy Florida highway and slammed into the back of a pickup truck, with dramatic video capturing the terrifying moments before touchdown.
The Cessna 172D Skyhawk, carrying two pilots, was forced to make an emergency landing on November 7 after experiencing mechanical trouble over North Fort Myers, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
The aircraft had departed Sebring, Florida, roughly 50 minutes earlier when the pilot reported an engine problem. With few options remaining, the plane descended toward Bayshore Road near Interstate 75, where unsuspecting motorists were traveling below.
Shocking footage shows the aircraft dropping toward moving traffic before striking the rear of an eastbound pickup truck. Despite the collision, the plane managed to come down on the roadway without causing a major pileup.
Two pilots aboard a prop plane crash-landed on a busy road in Fort Myers, Florida, on Saturday, rear-ending a pickup truck, according to police. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said no injuries were reported and the FAA is leading the investigation. https://t.co/VTBSOPT7OJ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 7, 2026
In an astonishing stroke of luck, nobody was injured.
One motorist, Brandon Hinson, told local station WGCU that he heard an unusual noise before spotting the aircraft descending at an angle. He accelerated as the plane approached, watching it touch down an estimated 20 to 30 feet behind his truck and trailer before bouncing across traffic lanes.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno expressed relief over the outcome, particularly following several deadly aviation accidents in Florida.
“Couldn’t have been a better outcome. Grateful doesn’t come close!” Marceno wrote on social media.
Emergency crews, sheriff’s deputies and Florida transportation officials responded to the scene shortly before noon. Authorities eventually moved the damaged aircraft off the roadway while managing traffic in the area.
The frightening close call came during an especially tragic week for aviation in Florida.
On November 1, a Learjet 60 crashed in a residential area near Greenacres in Palm Beach County, killing all nine people aboard. Just three days later, a Robinson R44 helicopter plunged into Biscayne Bay near Key Biscayne, killing one person and critically injuring two others.
Unlike those deadly accidents, Saturday’s emergency landing ended with everyone walking away alive.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident to determine what caused the aircraft’s mechanical trouble. Authorities have not publicly identified the pilots or pickup truck driver, and the exact nature of the malfunction remains unclear.
For the motorists who suddenly found an airplane descending into their path, what could have become another Florida aviation tragedy instead ended in a remarkable escape.