It's not every day you hear about a head-on crash between an airplane and an SUV, but that's exactly what happened in Johannesburg last Sunday. Thankfully, the two people in the airplane and 3 in the truck all survived.

According to the South African Newspaper The Times, the Piper Cherokee took off from a Krugersdorp Airport, west of Johannesburg, but then suddenly plunged onto a secluded road nearby. It ran head on into a Ford Sport Utility Vehicle and caught fire. Pilot John Thompson and passenger George Carney were trapped inside the burning aircraft for some time.  Both were taken to a hospital, where they were recovering from "serious" injuries, Mr. Thompson's son told The Times.

Of the three people in the truck, one was thrown clear and escaped injury. The driver and front seat passenger were treated for shock at the scene. Monica Braganca, who was driving the SUV, said she watched the entire incident unfold in front of her. "We saw the plane coming down, I honestly didn’t think it would crash and it would pull up," she said. 

"When it hit the ground, I just closed my eyes and kept my foot on the brakes and braced myself. We pretty much saw it coming."

Aero News

By Special correspondent