A commuter plane headed for Lancaster, Pennsylvania, made an emergency landing on the Loudoun County Parkway Friday afternoon, shortly after its take off from Dulles International Airport.
There were seven people on board and no one was injured, according to Virginia State Police.
The plane landed in the westbound lanes near Arcola Mills Drive, police said.
“The pilot was able to safely land the plane in the roadway without striking any vehicles. The only damage that occurred was to the guardrail off the right side of the Parkway,” said a news release from the police.
The police identified the pilot as Ahmed Awais, 27, of Florida. He was not injured. Awais had a co-pilot, five adult passengers, and a 15-year-old boy on board, Virginia State Police said.
The airport identified the aircraft as Southern Airways Express Flight 246. It landed on the parkway around 12:50 p.m. but did not disrupt operations at Dulles.
Statement at 1:30pm: Dulles Airport received reports around 12:50pm of a departed aircraft landing off airport property on a nearby roadway. The aircraft was identified as Southern Airways Express flight 246. Responders from Loudoun County are managing the scene, and Dulles…
— Dulles Airport (IAD) (@Dulles_Airport) January 19, 2024
A traffic photo from the Virginia Department of Transportation showed the plane blocking part of the parkway.
#Dulles: Correction – only southbound lanes are currently closed. No delays at this time in northbound lanes. #VaTraffic https://t.co/DYTQQCgOS7
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) January 19, 2024
The landing came on a day when snow was falling and several inches were on the ground.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which will investigate, said the plane was a single-engine Cessna 208. The police also notified the National Transportation Safety Board, which will investigate.
It’s not known why the plane had to make the emergency landing, but the pilot declared a “mayday” over the radio, The Washington Post reports.
Southern Airways CEO Stan Little released the following statement: “We are relieved to report there were no injuries, and all passengers are safe and sound. We are thankful to our pilots, who did exactly what they were trained to do — to put the safety of our passengers first. We are working closely with the authorities to thoroughly investigate the situation, and we will take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and security of our passengers and our fleet.”
Driver Jesse Labell told WTOP he was headed to lunch when he saw the plane come down about 30 feet ahead of him. He said he checked on the passengers and found everyone to be OK before the fire department arrived.
Eyewitness Jesse Labell saw plane land on Loudoun County Parkway. Says he checked with passengers and all were OK. Stick with @WTOPtraffic and @WTOP pic.twitter.com/CcPWfuSojl
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) January 19, 2024
Feature image courtesy of NBC Washington
For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine’s News newsletter.
