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Drivers stunned as plane makes emergency landing on Croatian highway

The pilot was forced to take drastic action after a reported technical malfunction.

A small sports aircraft landed on the A6 Zagreb-Rijeka highway in Croatia following a technical issue.
A small sports aircraft landed on the A6 Zagreb-Rijeka highway in Croatia following a technical issue. Source: Pixsell

A small plane has made an emergency landing on a main road in Croatia after its engine failed, surprising drivers but causing no injuries.

The incident happened on Saturday on the road connecting the capital Zagreb with the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka.

A small plane is parked after making an emergency landing on a main highway in Croatia.
A small plane is parked after making an emergency landing on a main highway in Croatia. Source: Vrbovsko Fire Brigade

It is one of the main roads in the country and is usually crowded during the tourist season and at weekends.

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Firefighters from the nearby region of Vrbovsko gave "technical malfunction" of the plane as the reason for the landing.

They said the incident caused no casualties, only damage.

The pilot of the single-engine Cessna 150 said he had a choice either to land in a field or on the road after the engine malfunctioned.

No one was injured in the unusual scare.
No one was injured in the unusual scare. Source: Pixsell

"It was a hard decision because the traffic was very dense today and I had to find space to land between cars," Teodor Goricanec told local media.

"Luckily no one was injured."

A video from the scene made from a driving car showed the plane landing heavily on the road, swaying left and right with one wing apparently scraping the road before stopping on the emergency lane near a metal barrier.

Photos show damage to one of the wings as well as the front of the plane.

News portal 24sata said a woman and her flight instructor were on the plane.


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