NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. —
A small plane made an emergency landing Saturday afternoon on Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers, backing up traffic for miles and leaving both the aircraft and a pickup truck damaged.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said two pilots were aboard the plane, which clipped the back of a truck during the landing. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
“It’s definitely not something you see in front of your house every day, that’s for sure,” Lindsey Wegelian, a North Fort Myers resident, said.
The sheriff’s office confirmed the plane, a small Cessna, had to land due to some type of failure, whether mechanical or engine-related. Responders from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Transportation, Bayshore Fire Rescue, and Airport Fire Rescue were on the scene.
Elizabeth Clements and Faith John said they were at work when they heard what they initially thought was a car crash.
“I turn around and I see a plane just bouncing through the road,” Faith John, a North Fort Myers resident, said.
This is not the first time the plane has made an emergency landing. In August, the Highland County Sheriff’s Office reported the same aircraft developed engine trouble while flying from Fort Myers to Sebring with three people on board.
“You know, honestly, I’m not that surprised. It seems very on brand for Florida. Just glad that it doesn’t seem like anyone was hurt, which is always a good sign,” Wegelian said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is handling the investigation, and confirmed that it was a Cessna 172 that went down. The pilot reported an engine issue.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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