A Southern Airways Cessna Caravan on a scheduled flight with seven people onboard made an emergency landing on a busy freeway in Virginia. There were no injuries, and the plane is intact but l damaged from collision with a guard rail. It was snowing at the time of the mishap. The plane, identified in local media as Flight 246, took off from Dulles International Airport after noon and shortly after takeoff made what initial reports said was a “hard landing” on the toll lanes of the Loudoun County Parkway northwest of Washington, D.C. The plane was on its way to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Southern Airways Pacific LLC is a Part 135 operator based in Palm Beach and operates dozens of Caravans. According to Airline Geeks, the company merged with Surf Air Mobility late last year and also owns Mokulele Airlines in Hawaii. As part of the Surf Air deal, the Caravans are to be converted to hybrid electric operation. The carrier recently announced it was buying 100 Caravans to accommodate its growth.
