Local
Small Plane Strikes Pickup on Bayshore Road During Emergency Landing; Two Pilots Unhurt
A small aircraft with two pilots aboard made an emergency landing near Interstate 75 in Lee County and clipped the rear of an eastbound pickup truck on Bayshore Road. No one was injured, and the FAA is investigating.
Two pilots escaped injury after their small plane struck a pickup truck while attempting an emergency landing near Interstate 75 in Lee County, authorities said.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office reported that the aircraft came down near the intersection of Bayshore Road and I-75. The pilots were on board when the plane developed a mechanical problem and they tried to land, deputies said.
During the landing, the plane hit the rear of a pickup truck traveling eastbound on Bayshore Road. No injuries were reported to anyone involved.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno praised the outcome and the response from deputies and partner agencies.
"Thankfully, this incident had a positive outcome, and no one was injured," Marceno said in a statement. "Given the recent tragic news involving aviation accidents, we are especially grateful that everyone is safe."
The sheriff thanked patrol deputies, the Florida Department of Transportation's Southwest Florida district and Bayshore Fire Rescue for their quick response and professionalism at the scene. He said the sheriff's office will continue working with the Federal Aviation Administration as it reviews the circumstances.
The FAA is investigating the incident.
The crash comes amid heightened local attention to aviation safety. On Wednesday, pilot Tomas Pendas, 63, was killed when a Robinson R44 II helicopter crashed into Biscayne Bay near Bill Baggs State Park off Key Biscayne during a trip to film boats on the water, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office. Two other men aboard, ages 52 and 27, suffered minor injuries and have been released from the hospital.
Nine people died Sunday when a business jet encountered a thunderstorm and plunged to the ground in Florida, creating a crater and breaking apart. Investigations into those crashes remain active.
For residents along Bayshore Road, the emergency landing added a frightening moment to an ordinary day but ended without casualties, a result officials credited to quick coordination among first responders.