Additional Coverage:
Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Pennsylvania Interstate
ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A small aircraft made an emergency landing on Interstate 78 in eastern Pennsylvania Saturday morning, surprising drivers as it descended onto the highway. One motorist, Emily Rivera, captured the dramatic moment on her dashboard camera.
The pilot reported engine trouble and was attempting to reach a nearby airport when the plane touched down safely on the highway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and Pennsylvania State Police. Fortunately, neither the 65-year-old pilot nor the 34-year-old passenger sustained injuries.
Rivera, who was driving from Harrisburg to the Lehigh Valley, described her disbelief at the unexpected sight. “It’s like, ‘Oh, how crazy would it be if a plane just landed in front of me?’
But it’s not something you ever expect to really happen,” she said. “It’s kind of something you expect from the movies.”
Authorities temporarily detoured eastbound traffic on I-78 during the incident, reopening the highway later that afternoon.
The aircraft, a 1995 Commander 114B, had departed from New Jersey en route to Indiana. It was later towed to a local airport for further inspection. The FAA has launched an investigation into the cause of the emergency landing.