Father, son escape plane crash by seconds while driving down I-95

Father, son escape plane crash by seconds while driving down I-95

New video captures the heart-stopping moment a small plane dropped out of the sky and struck a car traveling on a busy stretch of Interstate 95 in Brevard County. Authorities said the woman driving the car and the two people aboard the plane escaped with only minor injuries. A father and son who recorded the crash on their dashboard camera were in the car directly behind the vehicle that was hit.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - New video captures the heart-stopping moment a small plane dropped out of the sky and struck a car traveling on a busy stretch of Interstate 95 in Brevard County.

Authorities said the woman driving the car and the two people aboard the plane escaped with only minor injuries. A father and son who recorded the crash on their dashboard camera were in the car directly behind the vehicle that was hit.

The backstory:

According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), a fixed-wing multi-engine Beechcraft 55 made an emergency landing on southbound Interstate 95 on Monday around 5:45 pm. Upon landing, the plane stuck a car with one person inside. 

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There were two people aboard the plane — one was the pilot, a 27- year-old man from Orlando, and a passenger,  a 27-year-old from Temple Terrace, Florida officials say. 

A 57-year-old woman was driving her Toyota Camry while the plane hit her. 

Two Central Florida pastors rushed to help that woman after her car was struck. Annie Wigley pulled the driver from the vehicle while her husband, Bernard Wigley, recorded the chaotic scene. 

The woman was taken to Viera Hospital with minor injuries. You can read more about the Wigleys' account of the crash in a report by FOX 35's Esther Bower, here.

What we don't know:

FOX 35 News is working to confirm the identity of the woman who was injured and what caused the plane to land on the interstate. 

What they're saying:

James Coffey and his son, Peter, were returning home after an eight-hour drive when the plane suddenly descended onto a car ahead of them.

The two caught video of the crash on their dashboard camera just 20 minutes away from their home. The father and son were only one car away from being hit by the plane. 

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"I was pretty terrified for the moment, thinking both of us could roll down that hill because there was an embankment," James said. "It was troubling. The more we think about it, we can’t believe it was so close."

Peter said he is still processing how narrowly they avoided disaster.

"We could have died — that could have gone a lot worse," he said. "It hit me a day later that I’m really thankful it didn’t end badly."

Jack’s Towing was called to haul the plane away. The owner shared that the crew had never picked up a plane off I-95 before but claims it could have been much worse, as there was no jet fuel spill. Although investigators have not confirmed the cause of the crash, the towing company said the pilots could have run out of gas.