WATCH: Pilot Makes an Absolutely Surreal Emergency Landing in the Middle of a Highway as Cockpit Cam Captures Insane Visuals

A pilot had to make an emergency landing on a highway in North Carolina after his engine failed — and the footage from the cockpit cam is utterly surreal.

The remarkable landing took place last Sunday in Swain County, NC — located in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Pilot Vince Fraser — whom Spartanburg, SC CBS affiliate WSPA reports had logged less than 100 hours of flight time — lost power to the engine of the 1967 Aero Commander he was flying, which is a single-engine aircraft. Fraser told WSPA he tried restarting the plane several times, but it didn’t work. He knew he needed to try to find a place to land, and was looking first for a river, before a last-minute opening presented itself on U.S. Route 19.

“I’m going for the river. I’m lining up perfectly for the river, and I look to my left, and there’s Highway 19. You couldn’t see it before because of all the valleys and the mountains and the trees, but it just appears,” Fraser said. He added, “Now we’re headed to Highway 19. I see power lines. I see cars, curves, trees, hills. I have no other option. This is the only and best option for us right now.”

The stunning cockpit footage shows Fraser narrowly avoiding cars on both sides of the road, as well as power lines, to somehow make a safe landing. Motorists managed to swerve out of the way or pull over in time to avoid the aircraft.

Watch the incredible footage above, via the Swain County Sheriff’s Office.

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