On Thursday, October 9, 2008 at approximately 6:30 p.m. Washington County Sheriff’s Office received a call is reference to a plane crash on Orange Hill road just north of Quail Hollow. The experimental Velocity Pusher airplane, piloted by Gaia Luca Noia, 36 year old male of Rockaway, NJ was flying from Dallas, TX to Kissimmee, FL for an air show.

Initial investigations revealed that the plane starting experiencing problems and the pilot was attempting to make an emergency landing in Panama City, but was forced to land on a stretch of highway in Washington County, stopping in a wooded area just off Orange Hill Road. The pilot, who was the only one in the plane, was not injured.

FAA and NTSB were notified and are currently investigating.