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Plane makes emergency landing, clips semi-tractor trailer in I-985 in Gwinnett County, authorities say

The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot of a single-engine Piper PA-28 was forced to land with two people on board.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A small plane had to make an emergency landing on I-985 northbound in Gwinnett County Tuesday afternoon. After several hours, all lanes on I-985 near I-85 have reopened. 

The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot of a single-engine Piper PA-28 was forced to land with two people on board. The aircraft registration number is N7470R. The FAA said it will investigate what happened.

Gwinnett Fire said crews responded to the scene at approximately 4:13 p.m. Firefighters said the small plane crashed into a semi-tractor trailer just past the I-85 northbound exit. 

Crews said they deployed a fire hose for protection but did not find any active fuel leaks. No one was hurt and no flames were found, fire officials said. As a precaution, the Gwinnett County Hazmat team offloaded 10 gallons of fuel from the plane before moving it.

A spokesperson for Gwinnett County said according to their records, the plane departed from the county's airport at Briscoe Field. The plane departed from the airport, flew around Lake Lanier and was returning to the airport when it made its off-airport landing.

11Alive Skytracker flew over the scene and captured the aftermath of the landing. 

About an hour after authorities were called to the unprecedented landing, crews were towing the plane off of the interstate. 11Alive's Cody Alcorn saw the plane being loaded by a crane onto an 18-wheeler flatbed trailer. 

Crews slowly towed the plane off the highway and helped reopen traffic.

The National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) is now investigating the cause of the downed aircraft, Gwinnett County authorities said.

This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.

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