Plane Makes Emergency Landing On Snowy Virginia Highway Minutes After Takeoff

A small passenger plane that took off from Washington Dulles International Airport Friday afternoon made an emergency landing minutes later on a northern Virginia highway.

The Virginia State Police said that authorities were notified of a private aircraft making an emergency landing in Loudoun County a little before 1 p.m. Friday.

The pilot was able to safely land the single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan in the westbound lanes of Route 606 / Loudoun County Parkway without striking any vehicles, said the police, adding that the only the guardrail off the right side of the parkway was damaged in the incident. The parkway remains closed to the public as authorities investigated the incident, said the Virginia Department of Transportation in a traffic update around 3 p.m.

Five passengers, including a 15-year-old boy, were onboard the aircraft that was heading towards Lancaster, Pennsylvania, said the police. None of the passengers, the pilot, Ahmed Awais, 27, of Florida, nor the co-pilot were injured in the incident, said the state police.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesperson James Johnson, in an email to USA TODAY, said that the Dulles Airport received reports of a departed aircraft landing off-airport property on a nearby roadway around 12:50 p.m.

“The aircraft was identified as Southern Airways Express Flight 246,” said Johnson.

Dulles Airport has not been affected by the event and remains open for takeoffs and landings, said Johnson.

Southern Airways Express Flight 246 was scheduled to take off from Dulles Airport at 12:45 p.m., according to Dulles Airport.