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GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A single-engine aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on a bustling Georgia roadway, colliding with three cars and resulting in minor injuries to two individuals, officials reported.
The incident involved a Hawker Beechcraft BE-36, which descended onto Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville—approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta—due to engine troubles, as confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration and local police.
Pilot Thomas Rogers explained to WAGA-TV, “Our engine failed shortly after taking off from Gainesville. We attempted to glide back and followed all procedures, but it became clear we couldn’t reach the airport. So, we made the decision to land on the road.”
In its descent, the aircraft collided with three vehicles, with a fuel tank from the plane becoming dislodged into one of them, according to Gainesville police Capt. Kevin Holbrook. Two individuals sustained minor injuries and were transported to a hospital for treatment.
Holbrook remarked on the narrow avoidance of greater disaster, “Landing amidst hundreds of cars and only hitting three, while avoiding power lines, is truly remarkable. It’s astonishing that no one was seriously hurt or killed, especially on such a major thoroughfare in northeast Georgia.”