CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — According to the Chattanooga Fire Department, two people are lucky to be alive after a single-engine plane crash on busy Shallowford Road during Chattanooga's evening rush hour on Tuesday.
According to reports, the engine went out and the plane went down half a mile from a runway at a nearby airport. CFD said it happened at around 5:51 p.m., with one person managing to get out of the plane when crews arrived. The other person had to be extricated by firefighters.
The fire department said he was trapped and trying to get himself out, with crews having to cut pieces of metal and remove a portion of the plane to free him from the wreckage.
"Both individuals were transported to the hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries," CFD said on social media. "Amazingly, the plane avoided traffic on Shallowford Road, crashing on the side of the road just down from the intersection of Shallowford Road and Airport Road."
A small fuel leak was quickly stopped, according to the department.
"The FAA and NTSB are headed to the crash site. CFD, CPD, Airport FD and HCEMs are on the scene," CFD said.
CFD also said the road between Airport Road and Cromwell Road is closed immediately and will reopen possibly midday Wednesday once agencies are done with their work on the crash scene.
CFD said it is recommended to avoid the area entirely.