Pilot OK after landing small plane on Sawgrass Expressway in Coral Springs

Coral Springs, Florida – The pilot of a small plane was not hurt when, authorities said, a mechanical issue forced him to make an emergency landing on the Sawgrass Expressway in Coral Springs.

Florida Highway Patrol units have responded to the scene along the eastbound lanes, just west of the University Drive exit, Friday night.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Piper PA-28 touched down on the highway at around 10:30 p.m.

Cellphone video recorded by witness Bruce Davis shows the pilot moments after he landed.

“I give the guy credit; there he is. There’s the pilot. I give him a lot of credit,” Davis is heard saying. “He landed that thing in the middle of traffic.”

Officials said the pilot discovered a mechanical problem with the fuel line in mid-flight, making him decide to bring the plane down and use the expressway as a runway.

“I watched him land. The pilot was just as calm as can be,” Davis said. “He landed this fairly new looking single-engine prop plane right on the interstate, and just kind of slowly taxiing, came to a stop on the side.”

Davis said he then saw the pilot exiting the plane.

“[He] got out of the plane, stood up and started drinking a bottle of water,” he said. “By then, people were starting to pull over like crazy. The police hadn’t even arrived yet.”

Officials said the pilot was the only occupant on board.

Crews worked through the night and into Saturday morning to disassemble the plane so they could remove it from the roadway.

All eastbound lanes on the Sawgrass Expressway later reopened to traffic.

As of Saturday night, there are no report of any damages win in connection with the landing.

The FAA continues to investigate.