Plane Loses Power + Crash Lands On Minnesota Highway Just 1.5 Miles Short Of Runway

It was a scary situation on a busy county road in Minnesota Tuesday morning. A single-engine plane lost power and the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing.

Fox 9 reports that the 23-year-old pilot took off from Crystal Airport early Tuesday morning.

The pilot was returning to the airport from South Dakota when the plane lost power. The pilot radioed in the emergency and then tried to find an area to land.

This took place at roughly 10:30 in the morning over Brooklyn Park. The pilot selected County Road 81 near the intersection of West Broadway.

The area the plane emergency landed was about 1.5 miles from Crystal Airport. The plane hit several power lines before coming down on the highway. The plane spun and struck a green KIA Soul. Eyewitnesses said the small car spun with the plane for a moment. Power went out on the street immediately.

The plane's landing gear snapped off, and extensive damage was done to both the car and airplane. Miraculously, both the pilot and the vehicle's driver walked away with minor injuries. The pilot was the only person in the plane, and the driver was the only occupant in the vehicle.

Get our free mobile app

Chief Shawn Conway from the Brooklyn Park Fire Department was relieved at how the emergency ended.

"Being able to put the plane down like that and only hit one car is probably a testiment to the pilot's skill."

Now the Federal Aviation Administration and National Traffic Safety Board are investigating the crash.