Small plane makes emergency landing on central Phoenix street

A small plane made an emergency landing along a residential street in central Phoenix.

The aircraft went down the afternoon of April 12 near Seventh Street and Missouri Road, according to the Phoenix Fire Department in a social media post.

The pilot of a Republic RC-3 made an emergency gear-up landing around 3:25 p.m. with three people on board, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Rick Breitenfeldt.

The FAA was investigating, Breitenfeldt said.

Photos posted by the department showed a single-engine plane resting on the roadway with fire crews on scene.

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Those on board were not injured. “It was a miracle that no one was harmed,” Phoenix Fire Department spokesperson Capt. DJ Lee said.

Police confirmed that no community members were injured either.

The plane was able to avoid any incidents with other vehicles and pedestrians. Power lines were also still intact, as Arizona Public Service employees arrived to observe the crash.

It was not immediately clear how the crash occurred.

A tow truck or larger vehicle will attempt to remove the plane from the road, Lee said.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 identified the aircraft as a Republic RC-3 Seabee, tail number N6518K, listed as privately owned.

The Seabee is a four-seat amphibious aircraft, introduced after World War II and designed to operate on both land and water, according to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Playback data from Flightradar24 indicated the flight appeared to depart from Hangar Haciendas Airpark, a private residential airpark in the Laveen area of southwest Phoenix.

According to the airpark’s website, the property includes a private east-west runway with direct taxi access to homes and hangars.

The Federal Aviation Administration has not yet confirmed the aircraft’s point of departure.

Reporting by Rey Covarrubias Jr. and Christian Cervantes, Arizona Republic