A Beechcraft 55 Baron twin-engine plane carrying a 27-year-old pilot from Orlando and his passenger of the same age lost power in both engines during an instructional flight from Merritt Island. Around 5:45 p.m. on December 8, the aircraft descended rapidly onto the southbound lanes, landing squarely on the roof of a 2023 Toyota Camry driven by a 57-year-old woman. Video from Jim Coffey and his son Peter, trailing just seconds behind, shows the plane hit the car's right side, bounce slightly, slide forward, spin, and skid to a stop in a shower of sparks.
The woman suffered minor injuries and was rushed to a local hospital, while the plane's occupants walked away unscathed. Bystanders like pastors Annie and Bernard Wigley sprang into action, with Annie pulling the driver from the wreckage as Bernard filmed the chaos. Eyewitness William Baith spotted the plane flying perilously low, about 100 feet off the ground, moments before impact.
Florida Highway Patrol, Brevard County Fire Rescue, FAA, and NTSB launched investigations into the engine failure and crash dynamics. The highway shut down near mile marker 201 for hours as crews cleared the mangled Camry and plane, with no fuel spill to worsen the scene. Jack's Towing hauled the aircraft away, marking their first plane retrieval from I-95.
