Cars hitting other cars? Happens every day. Airplanes hitting cars? That's far less common, but the potential for tragedy is high. That's why we're happy to report just minor injuries resulting from this crash, and the pilot walked away.
The incident took place on November 11 in McKinney, Texas. According to a report from WFAA, the aircraft was unable to stop before the end of the runway on landing. It broke through a fence and skidded into traffic on a nearby highway, entering the path of an unsuspecting Hyundai Sonata. The driver in the sedan was ultimately taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Two people in the aircraft were examined at the scene but apparently didn't require medical attention.
It was all captured on video by Jack Schneider, who was at the airport and realized there was a problem. Speaking to WFAA, he noted the airplane was moving fast down the runway with the tires smoking. The report also cites witnesses who spoke to the pilot, allegedly telling them the thrust reverser wasn't working.
For those looking at this propeller-driven airplane and wondering how you reverse thrust, this is a Lancair IV-P propjet. It's a high-performance four-seat private airplane fitted with a turboprop engine – a jet turbine that spins a propeller. It's capable of cruise speeds over 350 mph, though it appears this particular aircraft experienced an in-flight emergency at some point.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, the pilot was flying from Midland Airpark in Texas to Aero Country Airport, the location of the crash. There was a pressurization problem at 25,000 feet, prompting the pilot to perform a rapid descent while continuing to the destination airport. The first landing attempt was aborted, and well, we can see what happened the second time around.
It's unknown if the pressurization problem contributed to the crash. A full investigation is underway.
