Officials say the Beechcraft touched down near mile marker 201 during the evening commute; two aboard the plane were unhurt.
COCOA, FL — A small twin-engine plane made an emergency landing on the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 near Cocoa around 5:45 p.m. Monday, striking a car and snarling traffic in both directions before the wreckage was cleared later in the evening, authorities said.
The landing halted a busy stretch of the interstate at the height of rush hour and drew responses from Florida Highway Patrol troopers, Brevard County Fire Rescue crews and federal aviation officials. Investigators said the Beechcraft 55, carrying a pilot and one passenger, came down near mile marker 201, just south of King Street. The driver of a car hit by the aircraft sustained minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital. The pilot and passenger were not hurt and remained at the scene while state troopers and the Federal Aviation Administration began parallel probes into what went wrong.
Southbound travel slowed to a crawl moments after the plane touched down, with emergency radios reporting the aircraft in the travel lanes and a damaged Toyota Camry on the inside lane. “A fixed-wing multi-engine aircraft attempted an emergency landing and struck a vehicle,” the Florida Highway Patrol said. Crews blocked multiple lanes in both directions as they assessed fuel, secured the aircraft and checked the car’s driver. By about 8:30 p.m., a heavy-duty wrecker hauled the plane from the roadway and lanes gradually reopened, restoring the interstate’s flow.
State crash records list the pilot as a 27-year-old man from Orlando and the passenger as a 27-year-old man from Temple Terrace. Troopers identified the motorist as a 57-year-old Melbourne woman who was taken to Viera Hospital with injuries described as minor. The Beechcraft’s fuselage showed damage consistent with a hard landing; the car had visible impact to the driver’s side. The FAA said the pilot reported engine issues before the landing. The precise cause, including whether a mechanical failure or fuel problem preceded the descent, remained under review late Monday.
Monday’s emergency landing was the second small-aircraft incident on Central Florida roads that day. Hours earlier in Volusia County, a single-engine plane came down near DeLand High School, injuring the two people on board, officials there said. Brevard drivers have also seen roadside landings before; in early November a single-engine plane set down on State Road 407, underscoring how pilots sometimes steer for long, straight roadways when altitude and options are limited. Interstate 95, which runs parallel to Florida’s Space Coast, is dotted with median gaps and access points that can complicate emergency responses when traffic is heavy.
Investigators said the FAA will lead the aviation inquiry, while FHP will handle the vehicle crash report, a standard split in jurisdiction. The FAA typically releases a short preliminary report within days, followed by updates if a specific component, maintenance issue or pilot action is identified. If the National Transportation Safety Board chooses to assist, a factual docket with photos, interviews and data could follow in the coming weeks. Troopers said any citations related to the roadway collision would be determined after the initial scene work and review of the dash-cam and witness statements.
As night fell, tow operators and troopers worked under flashing lights to free the Beechcraft from the asphalt. A Brevard County Fire Rescue crew checked the Camry’s driver before transport, while other firefighters stood by with foam in case of a fuel leak. Drivers who had been stuck voiced relief once traffic crept forward again; a roadside witness described hearing “a giant crash” and then sirens in waves along the interstate. Motorists passing the scene held phones to windows to capture the last images of the plane as it was lifted onto a flatbed.
As of late Monday, investigators had not announced a cause for the emergency landing. The interstate was fully reopened after 8:30 p.m., and officials said additional updates would follow once preliminary findings are compiled this week.
Author note: Last updated December 9, 2025.