JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --
A twin-engine aircraft made an emergency landing Tuesday morning along Interstate 10, avoiding vehicles on the crowded highway, but snarling traffic for hours.
The pilot and a passenger were able to walk away after the 8:15 a.m. crash landing. There was a small leak of fuel from the aircraft, Local 6 news partner WJXT reported.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the plane had taken off from Herlong Airport when the pilot reported losing one engine. The pilot said as he turned the plane to return to the airport, the other engine went out, so he put the plane down on the westbound lanes of I-10 at mile marker 353 -- near the Publix warehouse.
Witnesses said the plane flew under some power lines and over at least one one vehicle to touch down.
"Because of his speed, he was coming up on other traffic rapidly, so he veered to the right, went up onto the shoulder," FHP Lt. Bill Leeper said. "His right wing struck several trees -- sheared it off."
Witnesses said the pilot leapfrogged over moving cars and managed to avoid hitting any of them.
"I grabbed a Mento out of my bag and into my rear-view mirror here comes a plane behind me, literally," driver Angel Centeno said. "I stepped on the gas and left -- tried to get away from the semi that I almost hit."
The FHP identified the pilot as 47-year-old William Montgomery, of Jacksonville, and the passenger as Kacper Gradzki, 27, of Orange Park.
Jacksonville Fire-Rescue spokesman Tom Francis said the pilot had 30 years of flight experience and credited him with avoiding disaster on a busy highway.
"Something that could have been tragic and certainly cataclysmic for all involved turned out to be the feel-good story of the day," Francis said.
The plane was identified as a 1957 Aero Commander, which, depending on configuration, can carry between four and seven people. The aircraft was headed to Craig Airport for radio maintenance when it went down.
Dozens of fire trucks and other emergency vehicles were sent to the scene the scene. Traffic was backed up for several miles until about 10 a.m, when most of the emergency vehicles left.
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