Niko Bray, 19, was only a few minutes into a flight in his small-engine plane when the craft lost power. Unable to restore power, Bray realized he was too low to the ground to safely return to the airport from which he departed so he set his sights on Indiantown Road in Jupiter, Florida.
With the help of a truck driver who blocked traffic Bray was able to land the plane safely.
A 19-year-old pilot was forced to make an emergency landing on a busy road in Jupiter, Florida, after the small plane he was flying lost power.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 10, 2026
pic.twitter.com/t6agRBAUxx
At about 2:30 p.m., Palm Beach County Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene after receiving multiple 911 calls regarding an aircraft that landed on Indiantown Road. Fire crews were at the scene in less than three minutes. PBCFR provided more information saying that the small, single-engine plane had landed on the westbound lanes of Indiantown Road between Maplewood Road and Pennock Lane. Luckily, the plane did not hit any cars during the landing process.
The plane was eventually pushed from the middle of the road into a nearby plaza parking lot, where crews were prepared to load it onto a flatbed truck to be taken away.
After landing safely, Bray says the reality of the moment didn’t hit him until he saw his mom again.
“Very grateful for her. She’s funded my dreams of becoming a pilot,” Bray said. “I’m glad to be able to hug her again, for sure.”
Bray also said the experience won't deter him from flying in the future.
Good thing our highways are built for this.
— Sam Mitha (@MithaIntel) March 10, 2026
That's partially true. Some U.S. highways were planned with national defense in mind, but the myth that "one mile in five" must be straight isn't accurate.
If this was NY, the plane would have exploded from the potholes. https://t.co/t9jo3WsycG
— Mike (@Fuctupmind) March 10, 2026
The same applies if he had landed in Wisconsin.
🚨JUST IN: A Small plane flown by a 19 year old pilot with one passenger successfully makes an emergency landing on Indiantown Road in Jupiter, Florida.
— DK🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 (@1Nicdar) March 7, 2026
There were cars on the roadway, but the pilot somehow managed to land without hitting a single vehicle. pic.twitter.com/IashLnmePm
That's another angle of the landing.
Bray and his passenger were uninjured in the landing, and no one on the ground was injured. Bray even managed to avoid damaging vehicles on the ground.
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