A single-engine Diamond DA40 airplane with two people onboard made an emergency landing on a busy section of Highway 501 in Horry County, South Carolina, on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred around noon after the pilot reported an engine problem, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Horry County Fire Rescue was dispatched at 12:12 p.m., and shortly thereafter, the plane was seen being towed away by a pickup truck.
The Diamond DA40 aircraft is registered to Lift Aircraft LLC, a company based in Indianapolis, Indiana, that operates a commercial pilot training academy in Myrtle Beach. Jon Austin, a spokesman for Lift Academy, stated that the plane was on a maintenance flight when it experienced an in-flight event that necessitated the emergency landing.
‘The pilot and mechanic aboard executed their checklist and safely landed without injury to anyone or damage to the aircraft,’ Austin said.
Dylan Wadzinski, a witness who captured footage of the landing, described the scene: ‘I was on the phone and noticed the plane flying really low and struggling. I looked away for a moment and then realized it was landing on Highway 501.’
Wadzinski noted the fortunate circumstances, including the absence of traffic, which prevented what could have been a more serious accident.
The plane landed safely, and there were no injuries, according to Horry County Fire Rescue. An image from a South Carolina Department of Transportation traffic camera showed the plane being moved from the scene shortly before 1 p.m.
The aircraft was taken back to the airport with the coordination of first responders, and the rest of the school’s operations continued unaffected.
FlightAware data indicated that the plane had taken off from Myrtle Beach International Airport at about 10:45 a.m. and was performing touch-and-go landings before the emergency incident.
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety and Horry County police are assisting in the investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA will also conduct investigations.
Updates will be provided online and on-air by WBTW during their afternoon and evening newscasts as more information becomes available.
