On August 3, 21-year-old flight instructor Emily Shelton declared an emergency after her Piper PA-28 Cherokee began losing oil pressure and the cabin filled with smoke during a student's first lesson. Shelton guided the plane to Interstate 10 in Escambia County, threading it under a highway sign and landing safely on the roadway; a trucker’s dashcam captured the maneuver. Both occupants were uninjured, the FAA is investigating, and Shelton received a Sheriff's Medal for her calm, professional response.
21-Year-Old Flight Instructor Threads Plane Under I-10 Sign, Lands Safely on Busy Highway
Eric Jordan via WEAR Channel 3 News, Youtube
On the morning of August 3, 21-year-old flight instructor Emily Shelton performed a precise emergency landing on Interstate 10 in Escambia County, Florida, after her Piper PA-28 Cherokee began losing oil pressure and the cabin filled with smoke during a first flight lesson.
Shelton and her student reported the problem to Air Traffic Control and declared an emergency when it became clear they could not reach the airport. Assessing the situation quickly, Shelton steered the aircraft toward a stretch of I-10 and executed a maneuver pilots describe as "threading the needle"—slipping the small plane under a large highway sign and descending between traffic to a clear patch of roadway.
Dashcam Footage and Immediate Response
Truck driver Eric Jordan captured the dramatic sequence on his dashcam as the plane appeared from the upper right of the frame and slid under the highway signage before touching down. "It was a close call for the truck and for the sign, but he landed, he kept it in control," Jordan told WEAR News 3; he later added he had not realized the pilot was a woman.
Aftermath and Investigation
Escambia County deputies were on scene quickly. According to Fox 10 News, there was no visible external damage to the airplane or surrounding structures, and both Shelton and her student were uninjured. After exiting the aircraft, the two pushed it to the highway shoulder until recovery crews could remove it.
The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation to determine the cause of the mechanical failure and to document the sequence of events leading to the emergency landing.
Shelton: "I feel my training has prepared me exceptionally well for this moment. I've practiced this exact scenario many times, just never thought I'd actually have to execute it in real life."
Recognition
Later that week the Escambia County Sheriff's Office presented Shelton with a Sheriff's Medal, citing her calm under pressure, professionalism, and skilled handling of an emergency that could have been far worse.
This incident underscores how training, quick decision-making, and composure can prevent catastrophe, and it attracted attention because rare footage shows a small aircraft safely landing on a busy interstate.
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