The calm 21-year-old flight instructor gently maneuvered a malfunctioning single-engine plane to an area on Interstate 10, which is packed with cars, near Pensacola in the morning on Monday.
Emily Shelton was teaching her student how to fly for the first time when the oil pressure of the aircraft went down and smoke filled up the cockpit of the Piper PA-28 Cherokee. At 9:55 a.m. on August 3, she told the air traffic controllers that she would not be able to make it to the airport in Pensacola.
“We would like to go ahead and declare an emergency. We’re losing our engine. I don’t know if we’re gonna make it to the airport,”
Shelton radioed. Moments later she added,
“We are not making the airport; we are going down on I-10… We are lined up with I-10, trying to avoid the cars.”
Controllers cleared her to choose any safe spot. Shelton lined up with the eastbound lanes near mile marker 14, slipped under an overhead highway sign, and touched down without striking vehicles. Dashcam video from truck driver Eric Jordan captured the plane’s low pass near his cab. He slowed after seeing its shadow and later called the outcome a “miracle.”
No one was hurt. The aircraft, operated by Pensacola Air Flight School, was pushed off the road and lanes reopened by early afternoon. Shelton, who has roughly 1,300 flight hours, told local reporters she had practiced the exact scenario many times and focused on reassuring her student.
The next day she posted a lighthearted TikTok over an image of the plane on the pavement:
“My fault for the traffic guys. All jokes aside, thank you everyone for all your kind words.”
The clip spread quickly. Viewers praised her composure while some labeled the landing a miracle. Aviation voices countered that it reflected standard emergency training declare early, pick the longest clear surface, and keep control rather than pure luck.
The FAA is investigating the mechanical failure. Florida Highway Patrol and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the response. The incident is unrelated to earlier Florida highway landings in 2025 and March 2026 that involved different pilots and outcomes.
