A small aircraft crashed on a highway in the Netherlands on Wednesday, resulting in the death of the pilot and scattering debris across the roadway, Dutch emergency services confirmed.
The tragic incident occurred around 12:45 pm local time (10:45 GMT) near the city of Breda, approximately 60 kilometers south of Rotterdam.
The Middle-West Brabant Safety Region reported, “A plane crashed on the A58 from Breda in the direction of Roosendaal. Unfortunately, the pilot, the only person on board, died.”
The type of aircraft involved has not been disclosed, and no other injuries have been reported.
Images shared on social media platform X showed the wreckage of the plane, which had caught fire, and debris strewn across the highway.
The road was cordoned off from both directions by emergency services, effectively halting traffic.
Local broadcaster Omroep Brabant noted that the wreckage bore a logo from a local aviation flight school. An eyewitness described the horrifying scene:
“I suddenly saw something descend. It was the plane. At the moment it crashed, we saw a ball of fire and that was it.”
Emergency services have indicated that the highway will remain closed for the rest of the day as the investigation and clean-up continue.
This incident is a reminder of other tragic aviation accidents in the Netherlands. In 2009, a Turkish Airlines passenger jet crashed while approaching Schiphol airport, killing nine people and injuring more than 80.
The crash was attributed to a faulty altimeter. In 1992, an El Al Boeing 747 cargo plane crashed into a residential building in Amsterdam’s Bijlmermeer neighborhood shortly after take-off from Schiphol, resulting in 43 fatalities.
The cause of Wednesday’s crash remains under investigation, with authorities working to determine what led to the aircraft’s descent and subsequent impact on the highway.
