A small Cessna plane made an emergency landing on Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers on Saturday afternoon, causing traffic backups for miles and damaging both the aircraft and a pickup truck. According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, two pilots were aboard the aircraft when it clipped the back of a pickup 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, was quoted as saying in an interview. The sheriff’s office confirmed that the small plane was forced to land because of a failure, which may have been mechanical or engine-related.
Responders from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Transportation, Bayshore Fire Rescue, and Airport Fire Rescue arrived at the scene. Elizabeth Clements and Faith John said they were at work when they heard a noise they initially mistook for a car crash. “I turn around and I see a plane just bouncing through the road,” Faith John, a North Fort Myers resident, was quoted as saying.
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This was not the first time the aircraft had been involved in an emergency landing. In August, the Highland County Sheriff’s Office reported that the same plane experienced engine trouble while flying from Fort Myers to Sebring with three people aboard.
“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 (FAA) is handling the investigation and confirmed that the aircraft was a Cessna 172. The pilot reported an engine issue.
