A flight instructor flying with a student on his first lesson avoided disaster by guiding their Piper PA-28 beneath an overhead highway sign and between moving vehicles during an emergency landing on Interstate 10 in Florida.
Dashcam video recorded by truck driver Eric Jordan shows the aircraft descending toward the eastbound lanes near Pensacola on August 3, 2026.
The Piper appears suddenly above the truck and passes through the narrow space between the vehicle and the overhead sign. Its wings clear the sign supports before the aircraft drops onto the highway ahead of the truck.
Several cars remain on the road as the Piper touches down near the center of the highway. The aircraft stays under control and rolls to a stop without striking any vehicles. Jordan said he noticed the aircraft’s shadow above his truck and slowed down, creating additional space for the landing.
The FAA said the pilot of the Piper made the emergency landing at around 10:55 local time. Two people were aboard, and no injuries were reported. The agency is investigating.
The aircraft was a 1974 Piper PA-28-151 Cherokee Warrior, registration N41622, according to FAA registration records. The single-engine aircraft is used by Pensacola Air Flight School.
Flight instructor Emily Shelton, 21, was flying with the student. She informed air traffic controllers that the aircraft’s engine oil pressure was falling into the red and that fumes from burning oil were entering the cockpit.
“We would like to go ahead and declare an emergency. We’re losing our engine,” Shelton said in ATC audio.
After initially trying to return to Pensacola International Airport, Shelton told the controller that the aircraft would be landing on the highway.
“We are not making the airport,” she said. “We are going down on I-10. We are lined up trying to avoid the cars.”
Shelton later said her training had prepared her for the emergency and that she had practiced similar scenarios before having to carry one out for real. She had logged around 1,300 flight hours before the incident, according to WEAR News.
The FAA has confirmed that the pilot reported an oil-pressure problem but has not released further details about the mechanical failure.