OGDEN, Utah -- No one was injured Saturday when a small plane clipped a car from behind while making an emergency landing on a major freeway in Utah, authorities said.
Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Andrew Battenfield says the single-engine plane flew under an overpass before landing near Ogden.
A photo published by the Standard-Examiner showed the plane parked on the right side of Interstate 15 as authorities prepared to remove it with a truck while southbound traffic was restricted to one lane.
The plane did not appear to be significantly damaged.
A couple and their two children were in the car, headed from Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Farmington, Utah, to attend a soccer tournament.
The driver, Mayra Ramirez, said her children, ages 9 and 5, were sleeping when the plane hit their car from behind.
“They woke up pretty shook,” Ramirez said.
The impact shattered two of the car's windows and caused minor damage to the top of the car.
“I heard this really loud noise. I thought it was a motorcycle but when I looked in the rearview mirror, it was a plane,” she said. “It was both a little scary and surreal.”
A flight instructor who was training a student pilot took control and landed the plane when it started having mechanical problems, Battenfield said. They had been doing practice landings earlier.
“They were doing touch-and-goes at the Ogden airport when the plane started having mechanical malfunctions,” Battenfield said.
