Police dashcam captures moment plane crashes on busy motorway

The pilot and passenger walked away from the accident

A police car's dashcam has caught the moment a plane crashed on a busy motorway in Florida.

The single-engined aircraft, with a pilot and one passenger on board, can be seen in the footage flying low over the road and suddenly banking to the left, soaring right over the deputy's squad car.

Both 61-year-old pilot Marc Allen Benedict and 55-year-old Gregory Guinee walked away from the accident in Clearwater. No bystanders were injured.

One neighbour told local news outlet WTSP: “It sounded like all of our plates in our kitchen just fell over.

“We were thinking of, 'What if it hit us?'”

The plane, a Rockwell International aircraft 112-A, took off from Clearwater Air Park at about 9 in the morning on Sunday and went to Zephyrhills, about 50 miles away.

After refuelling the plane at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, Mr Benedict and Mr Guinee attempted to return back to the Clearwater Air Park, according to deputies, when “something went wrong.” The plane went down about half a mile away from the air park.

A spokesperson for Pinella County Sheriff's Office said: “The pilot reported to deputies he believed there to be engine trouble while in the air over the area of Sunset Point Road and Belcher Road area in Clearwater.

“Benedict told investigators he did not believe he could make it back to the Clearwater Airpark and began looking for a safe place to land.

“Benedict said he then observed what appeared to be an opening and attempted to land the plane on Keene Road.

“While landing, Benedict reported the pilot side, (left wing) caught a tree causing the plane to spin and crash at 1817 North Keene Road, Clearwater.“

It has not yet been determined what caused the plane to crash.