A small plane crashed in a fireball on I-195 during rush hour in Massachusetts early Monday — killing both people on board and injuring a passing commuter in a near-totaled car.
The plane careened toward the highway in Dartmouth around 8:15 a.m., forcing motorists to slam on their brakes or try to speed out of the way as it fell.
“We were coming down the highway, and then all of a sudden everybody locked up the brakes,” commuter Eric Desouza told WJAR. “We all [started] zig-zagging.”
As the plane hit the ground, a silver sedan was thrown from the road and ended up in the median grass with its right side crumpled.
It remains unclear whether the plane hit the car or if it collided with another vehicle to avoid the aircraft.
Two people inside the plane were killed, while one person on the ground was injured and hospitalized.
Footage and photos from the scene showed a scar of airplane wreckage scattered and burning across the median, while cars stood still and a team of investigators combed the area.
“Not something to see every day,” Desouza told WJAR. “Nobody [woke] up this morning expecting to be hit by a plane.”
The highway near Dartmouth was completely closed while police investigated and cleaned up.
It remains unclear what caused the accident, but police suspect the plane was flying to the nearby New Bedford Regional Airport.
The pilot apparently hadn’t provided a flight plan or passenger list to the airport, however.
Federal officials are investigating the crash.
