Small plane lands on I-595 in Davie

Pilot not injured, but traffic backed up to I-95

DAVIE, Fla. – A small plane made an emergency landing Thursday morning on Interstate 595 in Davie.

It happened in the westbound lanes of I-595 near Southwest 136th Avenue.

A view from Sky 10 showed the 1963 single-engine Piper PA-24 Comanche in the shoulder of I-595.

The pilot, identified as Scott Richmond, 58, of Comstock Park, Michigan, was not injured. He waved to Sky 10 and could be seen sitting on a wing of the plane.

A check of the plane's tail number shows it is registered to Gary Hill of Nashville, Tennessee.

Richmond told Local 10 News reporter John Turchin that he was headed to South Florida from South Carolina on a business trip.

As Richmond was approaching Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, air traffic control suddenly refused to allow him to land, explaining that an airbus needed the runway immediately.

Richmond flew around for a while and was passed on to Miami International Airport's air traffic controllers, but he realized that he couldn't stay in the air for much longer.

So Richmond decided to land on the highway, clipping the top of a gold Honda. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was seen taking a photograph of the damage.

"She sputtered and quit," Richmond said. "She ran out of fuel."

Daniel Wagner told Local 10 News that his Honda "just shook and bounced" when the plane struck his car.

Wagner was on his way to a dentist appointment at the time.

"All of us are very lucky," Wagner said.

Westbound traffic was detoured off the interstate at Nob Hill Road. Traffic was backed up all the way to Interstate 95.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating. FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the pilot was the only person on board the plane.

Richmond said he has been flying for about six years and just purchased the plane two weeks ago.

Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10

Full Screen
1 / 6

A single-engine plane made an emergency landing in the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 in Davie.


About the Author:

Andrew Perez is a South Florida native who joined the Local 10 News team in May 2014.