Plane with 7 people makes emergency landing on road in USA

A small plane that took off from Dulles Airport, near Washington, DC, in the United States, had to make an emergency landing on a road in Virginia, according to the local Department of Transportation. Seven people were on board.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said Southern Airways Express Flight 246 crash-landed on Route 606 after departing Dulles International Airport in Virginia at around 12:50 p.m. local time on Friday (19 ). The agency said it was investigating the case.

The flight's destination was Lancaster Airport, Pennsylvania.

Virginia transportation officials said the plane was blocking all lanes of the Loudoun County Parkway at Arcola Mills Drive.

“At 12:51 p.m., Virginia State Police responded to a call about a small private aircraft making an emergency landing in the DIREX lanes of Loudoun County Parkway. No injuries were reported. State police are on site,” the department said. CNN in a statement.

“Dulles Airport received reports around 12:50 p.m. of an aircraft landing on airport property on a nearby road. The aircraft was identified as Southern Airways Express Flight 246,” the airport said in a statement.

“Loudoun County crews are managing the site, and Dulles Airport remains open for takeoffs and landings,” they added.

Information from tracking website FlightAware shows the plane climbed about 250 meters for about two minutes before landing on the road.

In a statement to CNN, Stan Little, CEO of Southern Airways, said: “We are relieved to report that there were no injuries and that all passengers are safe and sound. We are grateful to our pilots, who did exactly what they were trained to do: put the safety of our passengers first.”

“We are working closely with authorities to thoroughly investigate the situation and will take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our passengers and our fleet,” he concluded.