Plane hits truck in Nevada; all survive

RENO — A small airplane with engine trouble struck a pickup during an emergency landing on a Nevada highway Saturday morning, authorities said.

At least two people were aboard the plane and two people were in the truck when the collision occurred about 9 a.m. on a rural, two-lane section of state Route 445 about 20 miles north of Reno, Nevada Highway Patrol Lt. Kevin Honea said.

All four escaped with minor injuries, Honea said.

“Anytime you hear about a plane versus car, you’re thinking the worst,” Honea said. “I’m happy to report that nobody had to be transported to the hospital.”

The truck was heading north on the 40-mile-long highway, which links the Reno area and a desert lake.

The plane, an experimental Thunder Mustang, was forced to land on the highway after losing power, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.

The crash occurred shortly after the plane left Reno Stead Airport en route for South Dakota, with a fuel stop planned for Wyoming.

The single-engine plane was made by Frederick Roscher in 2011 and was registered to 51 Aero Leasing of Cupertino, Calif., according to FAA records.

Roscher also was identified as the pilot. The names of the other three people were not immediately released.

Honea said the plane caught fire and was destroyed, but he was unsure of the extent of damage to the truck. One of the people aboard the plane suffered cuts from glass, he added.

The crash is under investigation by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board.