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Private plane lands on Bayshore Road, clips pickup; second emergency landing since August
By WGCU Staff
November 7, 2026 at 1:34 PM EST
Brandon Hinson of North Fort Myers was driving a truck with a trailer down Bayshore Road Saturday when he heard a funny sound.
"I was driving down Bayshore. I had my windows down. I looked over and as I looked over I saw the plane coming nose at an angle down and I sped up in it hit the ground in the far left lane bounced into the middle lane and then into the turn lane and that’s why I came to a stop," Hinson told WGCU. "It landed probably 20 maybe 30 feet behind the truck and trailer I was driving."
Law enforcement and fire emergency units were at the North Fort Myers scene, not far from the I-75 overpass.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office reports that two pilots were aboard the aircraft when they experienced a mechanical issue and made the emergency landing and crashed into the rear of a pickup truck traveling eastbound on Bayshore.
There was no report of any injuries.
The same plane made a similar emergency landing August 29 on US 98 in Highlands County . A report from the Highlands County Sheriff's Office said the aircraft was being flown with a pilot and two passengers from Fort Myers to Sebring when it experienced engine trouble.
The same plane landed on a roadway in Highlands County in August after experiencing engine trouble, according to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. (529x328, AR: 1.6128048780487805)
According to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office the same plane was flying from Fort Myers to Sebring with three people on board on Aug. 29 when it developed engine trouble. The pilot realized the airport was out of reach and landed on the road near Haywood Taylor Boulevard shortly after 10 a.m. and then taxied into the grass.
The pilot navigated over a set of railroad crossing arms and then under a set of power lines a short distance away to land safely.
Two pilots were aboard this Cessna 172D aircraft when they experienced a mechanical issue and attempted an emergency landing. (2048x1536, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
The plane was a Cessna 172D with an FAA registration in the name of Edward Kear of Bonita Springs. The FAA will be lead agency to investigate the incident.
For Hinson, the moment was rather stress-filled.
"Yeah, I was at first just wondering like what is he doing and then the next thing I know I was like oh no we’re about to crash and sped up and thankfully you know he can obviously fly pretty well,"
he said. " He landed well without any other incident so I’m blessed."
https://x.com/SheriffLeeFL/status/2119147581083124076/video/1
He said he had no time to take photos he was so intent on missing the plane coming at him.
"I was just trying to stay out of the way," he said.
Hinson's wife, Dessy Makar, said she found out after she got a call from her husband: "My phone just started blowing up, he knows I’m working, so I’m like 'what is happening,' she said. "He answers like 'A plane almost just hit me'.”
Makar, who posted about the landing on her Facebook page, was relieved the incident wasn't more serious.
"I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am that my husband made it out of that situation alive and unharmed," she said.
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"I was driving down Bayshore. I had my windows down. I looked over and as I looked over I saw the plane coming nose at an angle down and I sped up in it hit the ground in the far left lane bounced into the middle lane and then into the turn lane and that’s why I came to a stop," Hinson told WGCU. "It landed probably 20 maybe 30 feet behind the truck and trailer I was driving."
Law enforcement and fire emergency units were at the North Fort Myers scene, not far from the I-75 overpass.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office reports that two pilots were aboard the aircraft when they experienced a mechanical issue and made the emergency landing and crashed into the rear of a pickup truck traveling eastbound on Bayshore.
There was no report of any injuries.
The same plane made a similar emergency landing August 29 on US 98 in Highlands County . A report from the Highlands County Sheriff's Office said the aircraft was being flown with a pilot and two passengers from Fort Myers to Sebring when it experienced engine trouble.
The same plane landed on a roadway in Highlands County in August after experiencing engine trouble, according to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. (529x328, AR: 1.6128048780487805)
According to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office the same plane was flying from Fort Myers to Sebring with three people on board on Aug. 29 when it developed engine trouble. The pilot realized the airport was out of reach and landed on the road near Haywood Taylor Boulevard shortly after 10 a.m. and then taxied into the grass.
The pilot navigated over a set of railroad crossing arms and then under a set of power lines a short distance away to land safely.
Two pilots were aboard this Cessna 172D aircraft when they experienced a mechanical issue and attempted an emergency landing. (2048x1536, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
The plane was a Cessna 172D with an FAA registration in the name of Edward Kear of Bonita Springs. The FAA will be lead agency to investigate the incident.
For Hinson, the moment was rather stress-filled.
"Yeah, I was at first just wondering like what is he doing and then the next thing I know I was like oh no we’re about to crash and sped up and thankfully you know he can obviously fly pretty well,"
he said. " He landed well without any other incident so I’m blessed."
https://x.com/SheriffLeeFL/status/2119147581083124076/video/1
He said he had no time to take photos he was so intent on missing the plane coming at him.
"I was just trying to stay out of the way," he said.
Hinson's wife, Dessy Makar, said she found out after she got a call from her husband: "My phone just started blowing up, he knows I’m working, so I’m like 'what is happening,' she said. "He answers like 'A plane almost just hit me'.”
Makar, who posted about the landing on her Facebook page, was relieved the incident wasn't more serious.
"I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am that my husband made it out of that situation alive and unharmed," she said.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.