Pilot In GA Crash Landing Walks Away Unhurt: Reports

GAINESVILLE, GA — A pilot and others survive an emergency plane landing "in the middle of hundreds of vehicles" Monday on Browns Bridge Road at Pearl Nix Parkway, Gainesville Police said.

Two people suffered minor injuries, and the single-engine plane hit three vehicles during the crash. The moments leading to the crash were alarming for pilot Thomas Rogers, who told air traffic controllers to let his wife and parents know he loved them.

The Hawker Beechcraft Bonanza was flying from Gainesville’s Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport to Cherokee County Regional Airport in Canton when engine trouble started, according to The Associated Press, citing the National Transportation Safety Board.

Rogers attempted to return to Lee Gilmer, but there was not enough power, so he landed the plane on the road, the NTSB told The Associated Press.

“I think we're not going to make it,” air traffic audio recorded by LiveATC.net said. “Please tell my wife, Molly, I love her, and my parents. I love them so much.”

More than 10 minutes later, “We're going to be fine” is heard on the recording.

Rogers told WAGA-TV he attempted to "glide back" due to engine loss, but "realized we weren't gonna make it back with how far out we were, so we came down the road."

The plane struck three cars, dislodging a fuel tank into one of them, Gainesville police Capt. Kevin Holbrook said. Two people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

The crash was captured on video secured by NBC News.

“The fact that they were able to land in the middle of hundreds of vehicles and only hit three of them, no power lines is very remarkable,” Holbrook said, noting that the road is one of the main arteries through northeast Georgia. “The fact that no one was seriously injured or killed is just astonishing.”

The Associated Press contributed reporting and writing.