Horrifying second aircraft ‘drops from sky’ and smashes into automobile on motorway
The dramatic clip shows the aircraft hurtling towards the road and slamming into a 2023 Toyota Camry, striking the back of the vehicle before bouncing on top of it
A horrifying moment was caught on camera as a small plane appeared to “drop out of the sky” before smashing into a car on a packed Florida motorway, leaving a woman injured during the rush-hour chaos.
Shocking dashcam footage captured the “fixed-wing multi-engine aircraft” plunging onto the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Cocoa, Florida, at around 5:45pm on Monday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The pilot had been attempting an emergency landing when the plane suddenly dived into traffic.
The dramatic clip shows the aircraft hurtling towards the road and slamming into a 2023 Toyota Camry, striking the back of the vehicle before bouncing on top of it and crashing down slightly to the left.
Sparks scatter across the tarmac as stunned drivers watch the terrifying impact unfold just metres ahead of them.
The 57-year-old woman behind the wheel of the vehicle was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries.
Authorities described her survival as miraculous, given the force of the collision.
The pilot from Orlando and his passenger from Temple Terrance, both 27-years-old, escaped unharmed and remained at the scene, the Florida Highway Patrol confirmed. Neither has been publicly identified.
Witness Jim Coffey, who saw the plane plunge past his own vehicle moments before the impact, told Spectrum News 13: “We just saw this plane drop out of the sky.” He explained that the aircraft missed his car by mere seconds.
His son, Peter Coffey, who was also in the car, recalled: “I noticed it was there, because there’s a plane right there, I was like, ‘Hopefully it lands to the side.’
“I thought it might maybe aim around and not hit the car, but bam, the wheel just smacked right dab on the back of the car.”
“Fortunately, the car didn’t roll, it kind of mashed and went to the side,” Jim Coffey added, noting that the vehicle absorbed the impact without flipping.
Images taken after the crash show the Camry’s boot crumpled inwards and the wrecked aircraft with its nose and wheel torn away.
The Federal Aviation Administration has taken charge of the investigation into the emergency landing, while the Florida Highway Patrol will lead the crash inquiry.
Authorities have not yet revealed what caused the pilot to attempt the emergency descent, but the shocking footage has already spread widely online.
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