LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — A plane made an emergency landing on the Loudoun County Parkway on Friday, right outside Dulles International Airport. It took nearly six hours to remove the plane.
Seven people were aboard the single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan when it made a hard landing on the parkway around 12:15 p.m., according to the FAA. No one was injured.
The plane landed in the DIREX lanes of the Loudoun County Parkway near Arcola Mills Drive, where it stayed until just befpre 6 p.m.
"The pilot was able to safely land the plane in the roadway without striking any vehicles. The only damage that occurred was to the guardrail off the right side of the Parkway," Virginia State Police said.
The plane is Southern Airways Express Flight 246 that took off from Dulles and was headed to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The flight path shows that the plane came down immediately after takeoff.
In a statement, Dulles Airport said they remain open for landings and takeoffs.
Southbound lanes of Loudoun County Parkway are closed for the crash investigation.
Stan Little, CEO of Southern Airways, released the following statement:
"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."
A WUSA9 review of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) data found no prior incidents involving the plane, a 2003 Cessna Caravan 208B, or the owner, Southern Airways Express.
NTSB data shows the agency has investigated approximately a half-dozen emergency landings a year in Virginia and Maryland since 2016. The landings occasionally result in injury, but rarely death.
In June 2021, a student pilot was injured after making a forced landing in a field near Easton, Maryland, after the engine in his Piper PA-28 Cherokee lost power. The aircraft was destroyed by a fire following the crash.
In September 2022, a pilot was killed in a crash near Afton, Virginia, after striking wooded terrain while trying to make an emergency landing at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport.
Last month, the pilot of a Beechcraft C23 was killed in a crash in Fauquier County, Virginia, after striking trees while attempting to land at Warrenton-Fauquier Airport in Midland. The pilot was later identified by his employer as Dr. Simmie A. Adams.
No other details about Friday's crash were immediately available. As of Friday evening, the FAA had begun its investigation into the incident.
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