Pilot narrowly avoids pulverization in the latest in a series of small plane crashes

On Friday at 4 p.m., a small plane came hurtling down towards University Boulevard and North Econlockhatchee Trail in Orlando. The aircraft dropped as the result of what Florida Highway Patrol reported to be a mechanical failure.

"All of a sudden it started to drop, and that's when we were like, 'Oh my God,'" said Amanda Skuban, who had been driving to Costco with her friend Raiah Collins when they caught a glimpse of the earthbound plane. "I just kind of freaked," Skuban told WESH2.

Other drivers stopped or pulled over, giving the plane — which narrowly avoided oncoming traffic and powerlines — enough space for its unplanned final descent.

Ben Stillman heard the crash from his house, just nearby. "We assumed it was a car crash ... We peeped over the fence and we just this plane sitting in the driveway."

Apart from the damage incurred by the aircraft, only some landscaping and brickwork were disturbed at the crash site. The pilot sustained only minor injuries and no one else was hurt.

This is just the most recent in a series of small plane crashes this summer, some of which resulted in tragedy.

On August 18, three people and a dog were killed when two planes (a single-engine Cessna 152 and a twin-engine Cessna 340) collided over Watsonville Municipal Airport in Santa Cruz, County, California.

Both planes had been on their final approaches to the airport when they collided approximately 200 feet in the air. One Cessna careened into an aircraft hangar off the runway and the other plane smashed into a grassy field nearby.

Although the Watsonville airport is without a traffic control tower, the pilots involved were reportedly in communication via the common traffic advisory frequency. The smaller plane reportedly did not, however, have its transponder on, which would have otherwise enabled pilots to spot the aircraft on their displays.

On the same day, a silver 1951 Cessna 195 crashed onto Interstate 8 near San Diego in El Cajon, California. The plane struck Carrie Zub's Hyundai before coming to a halt. Though Zub was not harmed in the crash, the plane's 65-year-old pilot withstood major injuries. He is expected to survive.

On August 11, a single-engine Piper PA-32 crash-landed east of Los Angeles in Corona. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot of the Piper reported an engine issue. The craft subsequently crashed onto the 91 Freeway. Although the plane splintered and was consumed by flames, the two occupants were able to escape uninjured.