- A light aircraft experienced an engine failure while flying over a city in Brazil, and the pilot made an emergency landing on a city street.
- A viral video shows the plane crashing and rolling on its roof when its wings were burnt off.
- Unfortunately, both the pilot and his passenger were able to walk away from the accident with moderate injuries.
Airplanes are one of the safest forms of transportation, but like any machine, they sometimes experience mechanical problems that lead them sooner than they want to. Unfortunately for Fábio Reis, a pilot who flew over Guabiruba, Brazil, last month, decided to stop the engine in the light aircraft he was piloting at the least possible moment.
Without a hitch in sight, Reis did what he could to build a suitable landing on a residential street. Things did not go according to plan, and on descent, the wings of his plane were delayed in the traffic lights of the road. The plane was completely destroyed, but somehow Reis and his passenger lost their lives.
As you can see in the video of the incident, the improvised landing area was all but ideal. It was a narrow residential area with cars and pedestrian traffic, but Travel deserves some serious credit for managing getting down between the traveling cars and away from the pedestrian walking along the sidewalk.
Being a light aircraft, it was not designed to withstand a lot of abuse, and the aircraft quickly fell apart when it crashed into the sidewalk. It rolled on its roof as its wings burned off, and it slid along the ground until a stop sign stopped it in its tracks.
Judging by the video itself, it’s hard to imagine anyone surviving the crash, but they did, which is amazing. The pilot had apparently suffered from some bumps and bruises along with some suspected broken ribs and some internal bleeding. The passenger received a broken jaw (ouch!) And scratches, but when treated at a local hospital, they are both reported as “stable.”
According to several reports, the two men took the plane for a test flight. The passenger, who himself becomes a narrated pilot, thought about buying the plane and wanted to take a trip there before making his final decision. It is clear that the aircraft will not change hands, and it is unlikely that it will ever take to the skies again after being smashed to pieces.
The great news, of course, is that the passengers survived the harrowing ordeal. If small planes experience problems, nothing is certain. Larger aircraft have the advantage of being able to fly even after one of the multiple engines has failed, and can typically find an emergency landing area if you assume they are traveling over land. Light aircraft do not have the same safety nets, so it’s great to see these two guys away at once.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering breaking news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones, and future tech. Most recently, Mike served as Tech Editor at The Daily Dot, and has been featured in USA Today, Time.com, and countless other web and print stores. His love for reporting is second only to his gaming addiction.
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