LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report is offering new details on the moments before a small commercial plane made an emergency landing on the Loudoun County Parkway in January.
The emergency landing happened at 12:47 p.m. on Jan. 19 near Dulles International Airport.
Seven people were aboard the single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan when it made a hard landing on the parkway, according to the FAA. No one was injured.
The Southern Airways Express commercial flight was headed to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, from Dulles International Airport. According to the preliminary report, during the initial climb, about 600 feet above ground, the flight crew noticed a standby power light come on in the cockpit. Shortly after that, the report says there was a shattering noise and vibrations coming from the engine area.
The pilot instructed the co-pilot to declare an emergency and made plans to return to Dulles. The report states during the turnaround, the engine was unresponsive and the plane was quickly losing altitude.
That's when, according to the report, the pilot made the decision to land on the Loudoun County Parkway. The plane hit a guardrail before coming to a stop on the road. None of the seven people on board or anyone on the ground were hurt.
After the emergency landing, inspectors with the Federal Aviation Administration responded to examine the airplane. Inspectors noted damage to the guardrail, propeller, right main landing gear, cargo pod and fairing.
The plane was towed to a nearby parking lot where it was disassembled and transported to the Southern Airways Express maintenance facility.
Stan Little, CEO of Southern Airways, released the following statement the day of the incident:
"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, and we will take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and security of our passengers and our fleet."
The report also noted challenging weather conditions with "a broken ceiling at 900 ft with a visibility of 1 statute mile in light snow and mist."