"We have an engine failure"

Plane crashes onto California highway

A Cessna 177 struck a bridge and flipped onto Route 101 in San Jose after the pilot declared an emergency; three aboard, including a child, were injured but survived

Eliana Fleming

OCT 20, 2026 21:34

1 min read

Dashcam Captures Small Plane's Crash Onto California Highway After Engine Failure

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A small plane was captured on dashcam crashing onto Route 101 in San Jose, California, after striking a bridge, in footage released this week.

Three people aboard the aircraft, including a child, were injured and taken to hospital, but their injuries were not life-threatening. No drivers on the highway were hurt.

The crash occurred on Saturday afternoon, shortly after the single-engine Cessna 177 took off from Reid-Hillview Airport. According to recordings of radio contact with the control tower, the pilot reported an engine malfunction and declared an emergency: "We have an engine failure. I'm declaring an emergency."

The video shows the plane losing altitude, striking a structure above the highway, and crashing onto the road, where it flipped and came to rest on its nose. The aircraft narrowly avoided hitting vehicles traveling on the highway at the time. Emergency crews evacuated the three occupants, dealt with a minor fuel leak, and worked to clear the wreckage, a process that took approximately three hours.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened an investigation into the circumstances of the crash.