A small plane made an emergency landing on a Georgia interstate Tuesday afternoon during rush hour, shutting down one whole side of traffic.
Firefighters arrived at the scene just before 4:30 p.m. and found a single-engine Piper PA-28 crashed into a semi-tractor trailer on I-985 near the I-85 exit outside of Atlanta, 11Alive reported. Both passengers on board were able to remove themselves from the downed aircraft before authorities arrived, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. They appeared to be uninjured. (RELATED: 18-Year Old Makes Emergency Plane Landing On Busy CA Highway)
Willard wrecker service has used a crane to pick up the plane and put it on an 18 wheeler flatbed trailer. The plane was towed to Highway 20 off 985. (Exit 4) obviously this exit is closed at the moment. @11AliveNews pic.twitter.com/YEksg1Sdia
— Cody Alcorn (@CodyAlcorn) January 24, 2023
Rush hour traffic on I-985 came to a standstill as officials worked to secure the scene and remove the plane.
Fire crews told 11Alive they did not find any fuel leaks on the aircraft, but doused the wreckage with fire hoses as a precaution. Gwinnett County Hazmat officials also removed 10 gallons of fuel from the plane as a preventative measure before transporting it off the road about an hour later. The plane was then lifted onto a flatbed 18-wheeler trailer and towed to a nearby parking lot.
Authorities aren’t sure what caused the plane to make an emergency landing but are investigating the incident. The plane flew around Lake Lanier and was making its return to the airport when radar lost the plane around 4:11 p.m, the outlet reported.