Dashcam footage captures moment Pennsylvania highway becomes runway for plane making emergency landing and stunning drivers
Published on Apr 07, 2026 at 2:52 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Apr 07, 2026 at 1:23 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
If you are driving down a highway in Pennsylvania, the last thing you probably expect to see is a plane making an emergency landing, never mind being able to capture it on dashcam footage.
Amazingly, that happened just a few days ago, as driver Emily Rivera captured and shared footage of a light aircraft using the highway as a runway.
This shocked drivers on the road, and the pilot of the plane had to thread it between the traffic to make a successful landing.
Thankfully, the skills in the cockpit helped to ensure a safe outcome.
This is what drivers saw as the plane landed on the highway
The plane in question was a 1995 Commander 114B, and it was flying over the eastbound lanes of I-78.
A man and a woman were in the cockpit, having left New Jersey to fly to Indiana.
However, during the journey, the pilot began reporting engine trouble with the airplane.
With no runway easily accessible, the crew had no choice but to land on the highway.
The dashcam footage showed it swoop in from above one of the cars, and pull off a very impressive landing.
Cordelia Winkelspecht told NBC10 news what she saw as she drove along.
“I was like, no, it’s a little too low, and then I was like, oh my God, it’s about to fly over me,” she said.
“It was the most perfect landing,” she added.
What happened to the plane after the emergency landing?
The footage showed the plane landing intact with no visible damage.
It pulled over to the side of the highway, which then suffered hours of traffic delays.
Thanks to the skilled landing, no one in the plane or on the ground was hurt.
“It is pretty remarkable, fortunately, there were no injuries, and he did the best he could given the circumstances,” said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Nathan Branosky.
The emergency landing is now being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
After the landing, the aircraft was eventually towed to a local airport.
NBC10 news reported that the aircraft had a Lycoming engine.
This was similar to the one in a small plane that recently crash-landed in a Philadelphia park.
These engines are said to have issues with the rods; the two problems may be related.
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
