Quick, someone call Jake from State Farm, because “holy sh*t!” feels like a perfectly reasonable reaction to having a freaking plane land on your car while you are minding your business on the I-95.
That's exactly what happened on December 8 in Brevard County, where a small twin-engine plane made an emergency landing on top of a 2023 Toyota Camry traveling south near King Street in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
Yeah, folks, that Florida. And the moment, captured on a dashcam video by witness James Coffey, is, trust me, every bit as terrifying and surreal as it sounds.
Witnesses traveling in the opposite direction said they immediately sensed something was wrong when they saw lights dropping from the sky far too quickly to be routine air traffic. Bernard and Annie Wigley were driving with their daughter when the aircraft came into view, low enough to raise an alarm even before it crossed over the highway.
Bernard described the initial confusion of seeing the aircraft descend:
“It was just beginning to get dark, so the lights were obvious. I saw the lights coming from the east, but I couldn’t recognize them.”
For Annie Wigley, a nurse, the situation registered instantly as dangerous.
Annie said:
“It was going to crash because it was too low. It was just above the cars, and it was coming pretty quickly.”
According to federal authorities, the aircraft—a Beechcraft Baron—had reported engine trouble moments before attempting the emergency landing. Instead of veering into roadside barriers or nearby neighborhoods, the pilot guided the plane toward the interstate itself. The aircraft clipped the Camry twice before coming to rest on top of it.
Somehow, incredibly, no one was seriously hurt.
The family pulled over on the other side of the median, and Annie rushed toward the wreckage:
“We immediately jumped out and ran over to see who needed help. Every minute counts when people are injured.”
You can watch the heart-stopping footage here:
- YouTubeInside Edition
And no, this isn’t AI. Again, it’s just Florida.
The crash occurred just before 6 p.m., around mile marker 201, roughly 45 minutes east of Orlando. Dashcam footage shows headlights ahead, followed by a sudden shape dropping from the sky and the unmistakable sound of impact. The Camry was crushed beneath the plane, but remarkably, the people involved walked away.
The driver, a 57-year-old woman from Melbourne, was transported to Viera Hospital with minor injuries. The pilot and one passenger, both 27, were not injured.
In the immediate aftermath, the Camry’s driver appeared disoriented and initially believed she had been hit by a semi-truck—a reasonable assumption, considering the alternative involved a literal airplane.
Annie later reflected on how close the situation came to ending far differently:
“I was thinking it was going to be so much worse than what it was. I thought it was going to be devastation.”
Video recorded moments after the crash shows bystanders helping the visibly shaken driver out of her mangled vehicle. Despite the shock and the scene around her—flashing lights, wreckage, and an aircraft resting where her roof used to be—she still managed to inject humor into the moment.
Taking photos of the damage for insurance and “OMG” purposes, the woman said:
“Do you know how much I loved my car?”
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the pilot had called in engine issues before attempting the emergency landing. The aircraft is registered to Tailwinds Flying LLC out of Merritt Island. Authorities confirmed that two people were on board the plane and one person was in the vehicle at the time of impact.
Traffic on I-95 was temporarily shut down while emergency crews removed the wreckage and cleared debris from the roadway. Both southbound and northbound lanes have since reopened.
Bernard described the scene as something pulled straight from a disaster movie:
“It seemed almost like a movie. That could have easily happened.”
Despite the impact, the Wigleys said they believe something greater prevented a tragedy.
“I only have one word,” Annie said. “Miracle.”
Online reactions to the dashcam footage quickly echoed that sentiment, with viewers expressing disbelief that a plane could fall out of the sky during rush hour, land on a moving car, and still result in no serious injuries.
The FAA is leading the investigation into the aircraft incident, while the Florida Highway Patrol is handling the vehicle crash. The National Transportation Safety Board has also opened an investigation. Officials have not yet released the exact cause of the engine failure.
While the incident marked the second plane crash in Central Florida that day, this one stands out for the sheer, baffling luck. A plane fell out of the sky onto a moving car on one of Florida’s busiest highways, and everyone lived to tell the story.
Now, excuse me while I check whether or not my insurance policy covers planes landing on my car.
@WhiteHouse/X
