A 21-year-old flight instructor is being lauded for her calm demeanor and quick actions that led to a successful emergency landing on a busy Florida highway after her student encountered engine trouble during his first-ever lesson. Emily Shelton was instructing an unidentified student in a 1974 Piper Cherokee Warrior that departed from Pensacola International Airport around 9:20 a.m. on Monday.
At an altitude of approximately 3,000 feet, the aircraft began its return to the airport. However, by 9:52 a.m., the plane dropped off flight tracking data while over the Ensley area at about 1,600 feet. Shortly after, dash camera footage captured the aircraft flying under an overhead highway sign structure before landing on Interstate 10.
Both Shelton and the student walked away from the incident unharmed, according to reports from WEAR. Officials with the Florida Highway Patrol confirmed that the landing was necessitated by an engine failure.
Dramatic audio recordings captured Shelton communicating with air traffic control at Pensacola International Airport. She reported a burning oil smell in the cockpit and a dropping oil pressure reading, indicating a critical situation. "I don't know if we're going to make the airport," Shelton told the controller, later clarifying that "Our oil pressure is dropping down into the red and we do have fumes in the cockpit from the oil."
As the situation escalated, Shelton informed air traffic control, "We are not making the airport, we're going down on I-10." While approaching the interstate, she updated the tower, stating, "Just want to let you know we are lined up with I-10 trying to avoid the cars."
During the descent, truck driver Eric Jordan noticed the plane's shadow and immediately slowed his vehicle and activated his blinkers to warn other drivers. "If I wouldn't have seen that shadow over my truck and slowed down, he would have been in the side of the cab," Jordan told WSVN. He described the landing as a close call, noting that the plane managed to avoid the truck and a highway sign structure.
Jordan praised Shelton as a "good instructor," calling the landing a "miracle" that resulted in no injuries. George Sigler, a retired Navy and commercial pilot and former owner of a flight school in Pensacola, commented that the plane was likely traveling at 60 to 70 miles per hour during its glide, making the landing particularly challenging given the proximity to obstacles.
Shelton expressed that her training prepared her for the scenario. "I feel my training has prepared me exceptionally well for this moment," she said. "I've practiced this exact scenario many times - just never thought I'd actually have to execute it in real life."
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the emergency landing. The interstate was temporarily closed to allow officials to move the aircraft to the side of the road, and traffic flow was soon restored, according to the Pensacola News Journal.