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Florida pilot survives crash landing on busy road when plane malfunctions: ‘Miraculous thing’

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Published  November 7, 2025 8:31pm EST
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FOX 35 Orlando
Brevard County pilot shares 'miracle' landing on 407

Brevard County pilot shares 'miracle' landing on 407

The 50-year veteran pilot took off from the Space Coast Regional Airport when he noticed something was wrong. Reports from the Titusville Fire Department said the plane lost engine power, causing the pilot to land in the road of FL-407 between FL-528 and I-95. He lived, uninjured, to tell his story.

The Brief

    • A pilot who made an emergency landing on the road calls it a miracle he survived and no one else was injured.
    • The plane lost oil on Thursday, and the pilot had to find somewhere safe fast.
    • The FAA is still investigating what caused the plane to go down.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - A single-engine plane landed on FL-407 after attempting to land at the Space Coast Regional Airport in Brevard County, Thursday.

The plane lost oil on Thursday, and the pilot had to find somewhere safe fast.

What Happened:

The Titusville Fire Department were called to the area around 1 p.m., Nov. 6 regarding a single-engine airplane that landed on FL-407 before drifting off to the side of the road.

The plane reportedly lost engine power and fell short of the runway, landing in the road of FL-407 between FL-528 and I-95, a Brevard County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said Nov. 6.

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Ronald Lueck is the pilot who survived the emergency landing. He’s a seasoned vet with 50 years of experience under his belt flying planes.

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On Thursday afternoon, he was trying to get to Lakeland when he noticed oil pressure issues almost immediately after take-off. He looked for dry ground because he was surrounded by swamps. The 407 was the perfect landing strip, and he landed perfectly. The plane was hardly damaged, and there were no injuries to drivers or even nearby trees.

"Without hitting a car, hitting any trees, without doing any damage to anything, which I thought was kind of a miraculous thing," said Ronald Lueck.

He credits guardian angels for helping him glide down safely and says he would already be back up flying on Friday afternoon.

"I can’t take credit for all of that – the big guy - because so many things had to hit in exactly right, by the second. Sometimes, God does things for you." 

The Source: FOX 35 Reporter Esther Bower covered the initial landing on Nov. 6, 2025. She met the pilot at his hangar on Nov. 7, 2025.

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