Horror as plane smashes into motorway and bursts into flames in terrifying crash

A plane has crashed onto a busy highway in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, the USA, and pictures show the aircraft lying at the roadside. State police have said the crash involved a fixed-wing plane and occurred around 8.15am local time on Monday (October 13). They said the plane crashed onto the I-195 before bursting into flames on the ground.

Initial information suggests the plane might have been attempting to land at New Bedford Regional Airport, but it does not appear that the pilot provided the airport with a flight plan or the number of people aboard the aircraft. State police said they responded to the scene along with New Bedford and Fall River police, fire and EMS. There are currently no details on the identity of the pilot or passengers, or whether they were injured. The westbound side of the motorway has been shut, with the closure expected to last for several hours.

Pictures from the scene show there is also a wrecked car nearby, but it is not currently known if this was involved in the crash.

Dartmouth lies about 57 miles south of Boston and 28 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island.

This accident comes just a day after a large plane experienced a tail strike during a landing attempt at Heathrow Airport in the UK. As seen in dramatic footage captured by aviation live streamer BigJetTV, the large DHL Airbus A300 plane, with the registration D-AEAG, can be seen bouncing several times along the runway before the pilots quickly attempted a go-around, causing the undercarriage to hit the tarmac.

Meanwhile, a helicoptercoasting above a popular Southern California beach suddenly lost control and began spiralling in midair, eventually losing altitude and slamming into a row of palms on Saturday (October 11). The Huntington Beach Fire Department said five people were hospitalised, including two who were in the helicopter and were "safely pulled from the wreckage."

Three other people on the street were injured.