Video: Driver Simon Li was in the right place, at the right time, for his vehicle’s dashcam to capture what looks like a terrifying and deadly crash of a Piper PA32 single-engine aeroplane. But it turns out both the plane’s pilot and passenger were able to climb out of the plane’s wreckage and walk away afterwards, with no other reported injuries.
GIF: YouTube
The crash happened Tuesday afternoon in Mukilteo, Oregon, immediately after the plane took off from Paine Field airport. The massive fireball seen in the video was the result of fuel igniting after the plane clipped a power line, followed by a street light, causing the inferno to rain down on the street below.
After the plane lost power and the pilot couldn’t restart the engine, he steered the aircraft towards the nearby Harbour Pointe Boulevard which was free of traffic. The plane still ended up hitting at least five vehicles before coming to a stop, but there were no additional injuries reported.
Plane down no injuries pic.twitter.com/PEYzmooKLk
— Mukilteo Police Dept (@MukilteoPolice) May 2, 2017
Aside from nearby streets being shut down while police and firefighters dealt with the wreckage and damage it caused, some 9000 local residents lost power until the lines could be repaired. An inconvenience, undoubtedly, but far less catastrophic than Li’s dashcam footage may make the crash appear.