A flight instructor in Pensacola, Florida, saw herself in trouble mid-air after she smelled burning oil. An emergency landing on an interstate was successfully performed, with the pilot managing to fly the small plane under an overhead sign structure.
As reported by WEAR, citing the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on Monday, August 3. At the time, 21-year-old flight instructor Emily Shelton was flying with one of her students. It was his first lesson ever.
The flight instructor and student had departed from the Pensacola International Airport at around 8 a.m. Both of them were on board a Piper PA-28 Cherokee plane belonging to the Pensacola Air Flight School.
Close to two hours later, things took a turn for the worse. Air Traffic Control audio obtained by the outlet revealed that Shelton smelled burning oil in the cockpit.
Burning Oil Means Trouble
The plane had traveled to the north end of Escambia County, even reaching the Alabama state line. Radar contact, however, was lost near Olive Road and Johnson Avenue.
The plane had suffered an unspecified mechanical issue. Once the pilot noticed the smell of burning oil, she knew that a return to the airport was impossible.
She told air traffic control, “We’re going down on I-10.” And that’s exactly what happened, but in a full display of master airmanship.
Shadow Looming, Plane Landing
At that moment, Eric Jordan was driving his truck on Interstate-10. Suddenly, he noticed a shadow looming over his vehicle. It was Shelton’s plane.
Dashcam footage shared by WEAR showed the exact moment the plane landed on the interstate. Furthermore, Shelton managed to fly the plane under an overhead sign structure and avoid a potentially fatal mid-air collision.
“If I hadn’t seen a shadow over my truck and slowed down, he would have been on the inside of the cab,” Jordan told the outlet. “I just couldn’t believe it was happening.”
A Fruitful Training
The emergency landing was a success, and no one was injured. Shelton, who has 1,300 flight hours, was commended by viewers of Jordan’s clip. Some even hailed her as a hero.
“I feel my training has prepared me exceptionally well for this moment,” she told WEAR. “I’ve practiced this exact scenario many times, just never thought I’d actually have to execute it in real life.”
Jordan, meanwhile, turned on his caution lights to alert other interstate drivers to the plane. Hours later, the interstate was reopened fully.