Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Virginia Highway Shortly After Takeoff

A small passenger plane had to make an emergency landing on a Virginia highway on Friday, resulting in a collision with a guardrail.

Southern Airways Express Flight 246 experienced a "hard landing" on Loudoun County Parkway shortly after departing from Washington Dulles International Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the incident occurred at 12:50 p.m.

Thankfully, all seven individuals on board, including a 15-year-old boy, escaped unharmed, and no vehicles on the road were affected, according to the airline.

On Friday afternoon, a small passenger plane was forced to make an emergency landing on Loudoun County Parkway.

The reason behind the pilot's decision to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff remains undisclosed by authorities. However, it is worth noting that the area was experiencing snowy weather conditions at the time.

According to FlightAware data, the flight was originally scheduled to depart from Dulles to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at 12:45 p.m. Dulles Airport reported that the aircraft, which had already departed, landed outside of the airport premises on a nearby road.

The aircraft had a total of seven individuals on board, consisting of two crew members and five passengers, one of whom was a 15-year-old boy.

The plane was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off from Washington Dulles International Airport.

The airplane hit the guardrail on the highway, but it did not crash into any vehicles.

The Cessna 208 Caravan made an emergency landing on the westbound lanes of the roadway, causing a traffic blockage that lasted for several hours.

The state Department of Transportation shared astonishing footage of a tow truck carefully removing the single-engine aircraft from the highway, with numerous emergency vehicles surrounding the scene.

The pilot, Ahmed Awais, a 27-year-old Florida resident, was identified by Virginia State Police.

Additionally, there was a second crew member, four adult passengers, and one teenage passenger aboard the plane.

The reason for the emergency landing was not disclosed by authorities, although the region was experiencing snowy weather conditions at the time.

In a statement, Southern Airways Express CEO Stan Little expressed relief, stating that there were no injuries and all passengers are accounted for and unharmed.

"We express our gratitude to our pilots, who followed their training diligently by prioritizing the safety of our passengers.

We are actively collaborating with the authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be responsible for examining the emergency landing.