Small plane with seven on board makes ‘hard landing’ on Virginia highway

(LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va.) — Seven people were on board a small plane that landed on the Loudoun County Parkway in Loudoun County, Virginia, on Friday afternoon, according to the Virginia State Police and the Federal Aviation Administration.

No injuries have been reported, state police said.

The FAA said the single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan made a “hard landing” on the road around 12:50 p.m. after taking off from Virginia’s Dulles International Airport around 12:15 p.m. The plane was en route to Lancaster Airport in Pennsylvania at the time, the FAA said.

“We are relieved to report there were no injuries,” Stan Little, CEO of the airline, Southern Airways, said in a statement to Washington, D.C., ABC affiliate WJLA. “We are thankful to our pilots, who did exactly what they were trained to do — to put the safety of our passengers first. We are working closely with the authorities to thoroughly investigate the situation.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.