Cessna grazes pickup in Florida emergency landing, with no injuries reported
Two pilots were aboard the plane when it came down on Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers; the FAA will lead the investigation.
A small plane hit the rear of a pickup truck during an emergency landing on a Florida road Saturday, with no injuries reported in the aircraft or on the ground.
Two people were aboard the Cessna 172D Skyhawk when it came down on Bayshore Road, where the pickup was heading east. The Lee County Sheriff's Office said the landing occurred in North Fort Myers, near Interstate 75.
The pilots encountered a mechanical problem and attempted an emergency landing, the sheriff's office said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot had reported an engine issue.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno wrote on X after the landing, "Couldn’t have been a better outcome. Grateful doesn’t come close!"
Couldn’t have been a better outcome. Grateful doesn’t come close! 🙏🏻
— Carmine Marceno - Lee County Sheriff (@SheriffLeeFL) November 7, 2026
Video from the sheriff's office shows the Cessna passing over and grazing the pickup as it descended toward the road. The Daily Mail described video showing the aircraft's wing clip the pickup's rear immediately before the wheels met the pavement.
The two pilots and pickup driver have not been identified by investigators. The precise failure that forced the landing was not immediately clear.
Flight-tracking data shows that the Cessna departed Sebring, Florida, around 11 a.m. Saturday, then landed in the emergency about 50 minutes after takeoff.
Patrol deputies worked with the Florida Department of Transportation to remove the plane from the road, Marceno said. He praised the deputies' response and said his office would continue working with the FAA during the review of the crash.
About a week before Saturday's landing, a business jet with nine people aboard crashed and burned in a south Florida neighborhood, according to The Guardian. The Daily Mail reported that everyone aboard the Learjet died when it crashed on a West Palm Beach street.
The sheriff's office said the FAA will lead the investigation and take over the case.
