‘Bam, the wheel just smacked right dab’: Witness describes moment plane falls from the sky and slams into car on I-95

A small plane crashed into a 2023 Toyota Camry on I-95 in Cocoa, Florida, while trying to make an emergency landing during rush hour. Dashcam video caught the moment the plane fell from the sky and hit the car on the busy highway.

According to the NY Post, the crash happened around 5:45 PM on Monday in the southbound lanes of I-95. The video shows the plane diving straight into heavy rush-hour traffic. The plane hit the back of the Camry and appeared to bounce on top of it before crashing down to the left. The impact sent sparks flying everywhere.

Witnesses were shocked by what they saw. Jim Coffey was driving nearby and said, “We just saw this plane drop out of the sky.” His car was just seconds away from being hit, but the plane flew over him and struck the car ahead. Jim’s son, Peter Coffey, also saw everything happen. He hoped the plane would find a clear spot to land.

The landing was rough and the impact was direct

Peter thought the pilot might try to avoid hitting cars, but that didn’t happen. He described the exact moment of impact, saying, “I thought it might maybe aim around and not hit the car, but bam, the wheel just smacked right dab on the back of the car.”

Jim Coffey said that even though the plane hit hard, the car didn’t flip over. He said, “Fortunately, the car didn’t roll, it kind of mashed and went to the side.” Florida has seen its share of unusual incidents recently, including a teacher facing unexpected fines for surprising reasons.

Photos from after the crash show the trunk of the Camry completely crushed. The plane also looked badly damaged, with its nose and wheel torn off during the crash.

The driver of the Camry was a 57-year-old woman. She was taken to a local hospital with only minor injuries. Considering a plane crashed into her car, walking away with minor injuries is lucky. Witnesses at crash scenes often describe disturbing details they observed, and this case was no different.

The two men on the plane were not hurt at all. The 27-year-old pilot from Orlando and his 27-year-old passenger from Temple Terrace stayed at the scene after the crash. No one was seriously injured in the incident.