Georgia Plane Crash: Emergency Landing on Busy Street After Engine Failure
Shocking video footage captured the terrifying moment a single-engine plane dropped from the sky and spun out of control before making an emergency landing on a busy Georgia street. The incident occurred on Monday at the congested intersection of Browns Bridge Road and Pearl Nix Parkway in Gainesville.
Dramatic Descent and Impact
Videos show the small aircraft crashing down and rebounding before careening into motorists. The plane, identified as a 2010 Hawker Beechcraft BE-36, struck three vehicles during the chaotic landing. The impact resulted in a wing being ripped off and the plane's tires destroyed, according to local reports from WSB.
Remarkably, only two drivers required hospital treatment for minor injuries, along with one of the plane's passengers. The aircraft carried a pilot and a student pilot, with Gainesville Police confirming the student sustained minor injuries.
Engine Trouble After Takeoff
The aircraft experienced engine trouble immediately after taking off from Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport. Pilot Thomas Rogers described the harrowing situation to FOX 5, stating, 'We lost our engine taking off out of Gainesville and realized, tried to glide back, did everything by the book. But [we] realized we weren't gonna make it back with how far out we were, so we came down the road.'
During the emergency landing, the plane's fuel tank detached and struck the back of an SUV. No other vehicles or power lines were hit in the incident.
Miraculous Outcome on Busy Road
Gainesville Police Captain Kevin Holbrook expressed astonishment at the outcome, telling FOX 5, 'The fact that this plane came down, did not strike any power poles, any power lines, and only hit three vehicles is absolutely remarkable.' Police described the road as one of the city's busiest, used by hundreds of thousands of cars each day.
Mayday Call and Witness Reactions
Gut-wrenching air traffic control recordings obtained by WSB capture Pilot Rogers sending a desperate mayday warning. 'Mayday,' he repeated. 'We're not going to make it. Please, tell my wife, Molly, I love her and my parents. I love them so much.'
Witness videos show the horror of the descent, with one onlooker heard shouting, 'Are you seeing this? A plane just crashed on the freaking road!' Another witness, Deanna Campbell, told WSB she was dumbfounded, saying, 'I just told my husband, I said, "That's a plane! That's a plane!" It really scared us.'
Road Closure and Cleanup
Emergency crews closed the busy intersection on Monday to remove the damaged aircraft from the roadway. The Gainesville Police Department later announced that the roads had reopened following the completion of cleanup operations.
