Small Plane Crash-Lands on North Carolina Highway, Occupants Survive

The pilot and student on a training flight escaped with non-life-threatening injuries after their plane hit power lines and a tractor-trailer, causing a fire.

A small plane crash-landed on Interstate 26 near Asheville Regional Airport around 8:15 p.m. on Thursday, hitting power lines and a tractor-trailer before bursting into flames.
The two occupants of the plane, who were on a training flight with LIFT Academy, managed to escape the wreckage before the fire broke out and were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The pilot had radioed a distress call to air traffic control, reporting engine failure and stating they were unlikely to make it to the airport.
The crash caused the closure of the highway, which partially reopened on Friday morning.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.