A frightening aviation incident unfolded in Arizona after a small Cessna aircraft made an emergency landing on a busy highway, narrowly missing a family traveling in a pickup truck. The incident happened on Sunday afternoon on US 60 near Superior, Arizona, shortly after the aircraft departed from Superior Municipal Airport.
Kristal Ewing was returning home to Mesa with her husband and two children after a Mother’s Day hike when they suddenly noticed the aircraft flying unusually low above the road. Moments later, the single-engine Cessna A150L rapidly descended directly in front of their truck. According to Ewing, there were only seconds to react before the plane touched down on the highway.
The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the aircraft experienced an engine stall shortly after takeoff at around 1:25 PM. The pilot, who was the only person onboard, successfully performed an emergency landing on the eastbound lanes of the highway. The aircraft eventually stopped in the highway median after knocking down a traffic sign during the landing. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, and the pilot safely walked away from the incident.
Authorities later confirmed the aircraft had been borrowed for a solo recreational flight by an experienced pilot. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched a joint investigation to determine the exact cause of the malfunction and emergency landing. For the Ewing family, the terrifying experience became what Kristal described as “a Mother’s Day to remember.”