A United States passenger plane had to make an emergency landing on a highway moments after taking off.
The light aircraft left Washington Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia shortly before 1pm local time on Friday. But it was forced to land on the highway just miles away from the runway.
Virginia State Police said the aircraft landed on westbound side of the Loundon County Parkway. No vehicles were struck or passengers injured, with the only damage being to the guardrail, said officers.
The airport told the Associated Press that it received reports a departed aircraft, Southern Airways Express flight 246, was forced to land off-site. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesperson James Johnson said the airport remained open for takeoffs and landings.
Flight schedules showed a Southern Airways Express plane was due to depart Dulles for Lancaster, Pennsylvania at 12.45pm. The flight was carrying seven people, said the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will now investigate what happened with the single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan. Police say it was carrying four adult passengers, a 15-year-old boy, and two crew.
In a statement, the airline’s CEO, Stan Little, said, “We are relieved to report there were no injuries, and all passengers are safe and sound. We are thankful to our pilots, who did exactly what they were trained to do — to put the safety of our passengers first. We are working closely with the authorities to thoroughly investigate the situation.”
