PHOTO BY AEROSTAR TRAINING SERVICES
A small Cessna aircraft made a dramatic emergency landing on U.S. Route 17‑92 (South Orange Blossom Trail) just west of Ham Brown Road in Kissimmee, this past Wednesday.
According to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the four-seat Cessna took off from Kissimmee Gateway Airport at 11:23 a.m. and descended to land on the road shortly after. Despite local coverage and agency response, officials have not yet clarified why the aircraft was compelled to land where it did.
We do know that during the landing, the aircraft scraped a silver Honda, striking it lightly; shockingly, no injuries were reported, neither for the two people aboard the plane nor the vehicle’s occupant. The plane remained intact and was later moved off the roadway.
One bystander told WFTV that cars pulled aside to let the aircraft “drive” down the road before it finally stopped near a RaceTrac station. “Your heart started pounding… this is reality,” she said, recalling the plane skimming treetops before landing.
While the plane, which belonged to Aerostar Training Services LLC, was eventually cleared, the eastbound right-turn lane remained blocked for several hours, and drivers were urged to use caution. Emergency personnel from Osceola County Fire Rescue and the Sheriff’s office secured the scene, and the Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into the cause of the landing.
