Picture this: You’re at a track to watch the autocross races when someone shouts, “Look out!” You scan the pavement, but nothing is out of sorts. They shout again. Finally, you look up. A bright yellow airplane is falling toward the parking lot where you’re standing.

Spectators and enthusiasts were enjoying Autocross Lapping Day at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut on Saturday, September 20th. Then some unexpected excitement raced around Turn 6. A Cessna 172 Skyhawk took off from Poughkeepsie, NY at 12:21 p.m. with plans to fly to Keene, NH. But it suffered a mechanical failure over Connecticut and needed to make an emergency landing.

It looks like the plane was aiming for a parking lot, but while landing its wheels struck a fence near the track and it nosed down in the grass. The pilot was fine and the passenger only suffered minor injuries. You can see video of the crash embedded below:

Watch a Cessna 172 crash at Lime Rock park

In addition to the injuries, the Cessna suffered a fuel leak. Luckily, the race track was prepared. The corner workers raced to the crash while the track’s safety crew contained the fuel leak. By the time the local fire department arrived, things were pretty well contained. the pilot and passenger went to the hospital for a checkup.

That quick response may be why the Cessna pilot aimed for the race track instead of just searching for an empty parking lot or road. One commenter on the official Lime Rock Park Facebook post about the incident pointed out: “They teach student pilots to always look for a place to land in case of emergency. With emergency crews nearby, this could not have happened in a better place.”

Tom Burke, Lime Rock Park Director of Operations said, “We are grateful for the quick response of our corner workers, emergency personnel and local responders…We are relieved that both occupants are safe and wish the passenger a speedy recovery.”