Tipsheet

Teen Pilot Pulled Off an Amazing Emergency Landing on a Florida Highway

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  March 11, 2026 7:30 AM

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.

Here's more:

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.

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.

The same applies if he had landed in Wisconsin.

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.