Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Highway 378 After Fire Erupts on Board

Marion County, S.C. (WPDE) — A single engine Cirrus model plane has made an emergency landing at Highway 378 and 908 in the Gresham community of Marion County near the Park and Blow Handi Mart after a fire erupted on the plane, according to Marion County EMS Director Joey Price.

Price said there was one person on board who was able to get off safely. Price added he is headed to the scene and will have more information this morning.

Jim Peters, with the FAA, released a statement on the incident stating:

“A Cirrus SR22 aircraft made an emergency landing due to an engine related problem on a road near U.S. Highway 378 near Conway, SC at about 8:35 a.m. today. Check with local authorities on the condition of the three people on board. The aircraft was heading to Raleigh, NC from Mount Pleasant, SC. The FAA will investigate.”

Mike Hatcher, a witness to the landing, said that the plane was coming in kind of low and smoking. He said that it landed on Highway 378.

Hatcher said that another person said the plane almost landed on the hood of his car.

He also said that there were two people on board who were able to land safely, but another woman who lives near the scene, Lavenia Jones, said there were three people on board, two pilots and a passenger, who were able to get out safely.

Jones said the plane’s front engine caught fire and when the plane landed one of the pilots was able to grab a fire extinguisher from a passing 18-wheeler and put out the fire in the engine.

Hatcher submitted videos to us which show a plane in the middle of the highway and law enforcement officials on scene. The plane has since been moved off to the side of the road and traffic is reportedly moving through the area once again.

According to FlightAware.com, a flight tracking service, the plane departed from Mt. Pleasant Regional Airport at 7:11 a.m. Friday. It was scheduled to arrive at Raleigh Durham International Airport at 9:20 a.m. The flight is still listed as “en route” on the website.

According to the real time flight track log, the plane’s last documented altitude was 200 feet at 8:30 a.m. The planned altitude for that moment in the flight path was supposed to be 9,000 feet. After 8:30 a.m. there is no further track of the plane.

The plane is registered out of Wilmington, Delaware, to Admiral Aviations Holdings LP.

We’ve reached out to multiple agencies to find out what’s happening and we have a crew at the scene.

We’ll keep you updated here as information becomes available.