Plane crashes into three automobiles as city’s rush hour involves a dramatic cease
The pilot of a small plane left a heartbreaking message for his wife and family after fearing the worst when the aircraft suddenly lost engine power shortly after take-off
Hiding in plane sight on a road (Image: Gainesville Police Department/Instagram)
Two people astonishingly cheated death when a small plane plunged into cars on a busy road.
A single-engine aircraft was forced to make an “emergency landing” around 12.10pm on Monday in Gainesville, Georgia, in the US. The plane “crashed into multiple vehicles” at an intersection in the city, according to Gainesville Police Department (GPD).
Pilot Thomas Rogers was at the controls when everything went wrong just moments after liftoff. “We lost our engine taking off out of Gainesville and realised, tried to glide back, did everything by the book, but realised we weren’t gonna make it back with how far out we were, so we came down the road,” he told local media.
With no runway in reach, he was forced to aim for traffic-filled asphalt. Gainesville Police Captain Kevin Holbrook said the plane was attempting to return to the airport after the pilot noticed a loss of engine power.
During the terrifying emergency landing, the aircraft struck three vehicles and ripped a fuel tank loose, sending it crashing into the back of an SUV.
“The fact that this plane came down, did not strike any power poles, any power lines, and only hit three vehicles is absolutely remarkable,” Holbrook said.
He added: “Hundreds of thousands of vehicles travel this roadway each and every day so emergency crews were really expecting the worst of the worst when they responded. This is typically a situation which we would see multiple fatalities.”
In chilling audio obtained by WXIA, Rogers could be heard preparing for the worst, believing he might not survive. “We’re not going to make it,” he said. “Please tell my wife, Molly, I love her … and my parents. I love them so much.”
Footage from the scene showed the aircraft racing down the roadway before colliding with cars just feet away from others. Some vehicles were seen driving away in an effort to avoid the plane smashing into them.
Witness Jacob Hunt said the impact sounded like “a shriek” and “the scraping of the asphalt,” before adding that, “it just sounds like a couple car crashes all in one boom.”
While Deanna Campbell watched the drama unfold in disbelief, saying: “I just told my husband, I said, ‘That’s a plane! That’s a plane!’ It really scared us.”
The GPD confirmed that Rogers and a student pilot suffered minor injuries in the incident and were taken to hospital for treatment.
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