Plane makes emergency landing - on a busy motorway at rush hour

Commuters stuck in heavy traffic in Atlanta last night were left stunned when they discovered the cause of the congestion was more than a conventional rush hour snarl-up.

Making their way home at around 5pm, stunned drivers looked on as a small plane made a smooth emergency landing on a busy stretch of motorway.

In a remarkable feat, the aircraft managed to touch down safely without hitting a single car.

Heavy traffic: Stunned drivers looked on as a small plane made a smooth emergency landing on a busy stretch of motorway in Atlanta, last night

No injuries were reported, despite the fact that the Piper Saratoga blocked at least four lanes of traffic.

American television footage shows vehicles queuing for miles on Interstate 85, just as the evening rush hour began.

A few hours later, the plane was hauled away from the southbound stretch of road, in north east Atlanta.

It had been due to land a few miles away, at Peachtree DeKalb Airport.

The pilot, identified in reports as Matt Conway, blamed mechanical problems for the emergency landing.