Plane runs out of fuel and drops out of the sky in Florida

Aircraft captured on camera as it crashed into side of busy road

A Florida resident captured the dramatic moment a light aircraft ran out of fuel, plummetting out of the sky and into a busy road on Friday afternoon.

The pilot survived the crash, which occurred at around 4pm on 19 August, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The light aircraft dropped from the sky and nose-dived into a driveway along Orlando’s University Boulevard.

Alarmed motorists watched in horror as the single-engine Cessna 182 hurtled towards the road, with one car passenger filming the crash on their phone camera.

The aircraft flew at speed just metres above several cars before missing them and landing at the side of the road.

Remy Colin, 40, was the only person onboard the plane. He told ABC News that he had been taking a test flight after the aircraft’s annual check-up, but admitted he had been distracted while fixing the faulty radio, and did not notice that he had run out of fuel.

He added that he could not see any other place to land, and made the decision to “sacrifice the plane” while doing his best to avoid any vehicles on the road.

Mr Colin sustained some bruising but miraculously was otherwise unhurt.

Orlando authorities urged locals to avoid the area for several hours after the incident while the road was closed off.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board said they were investigating the crash.

In June, Florida saw a plane crash-land at Miami International Airport, where passengers attracted criticism for carrying their hand luggage with them as they evacuated.

The Red Air flight’s landing gear failed as it arrived in Miami from the Dominican Republic on 21 June, with footage showing black smoke billowing from the rear of the plane.

Meanwhile, a Ryanair flight had a near-miss with a light aircraft in May, avoiding a mid-air collision.

The Ryanair jet had taken off from Palma de Mallorca on 28 May, when the pilot was forced to abruptly change course shortly after becoming airborne.