Pete Myers has witnessed many extraordinary things.
But the retired firefighter from Burlington, Ontario, never imagined one of the most unusual events he's witnessed would take place during a casual drive on Highway 11 North near Emsdale.
You see, Myers was driving back to a friend's cottage in Burks Falls after a round of golf on Friday in Huntsville.
The 65-year-old prides himself on being a defensive driver who uses his mirrors effectively while cruising in his Ford truck. Like many drivers, he's experienced motorists following close behind, known as 'tailgating.'
He just never thought he would experience a bizarre tailgating experience with a small plane.
"I can see out the back window rearview mirror and all of a sudden there it was, this plane looked like it was going land on me I couldn't even see the whole plane because it was so close but I could see a tire I could see a bit of the engine part and a little bit of the windshield, but it was starting to tilt over on one side and and I gunned it right away and I'm sure that's what stopped him from hitting me," recalls Myers.
Shortly after that, the OPP from Almaguin Highlands responded to a traffic complaint on Highway 11 North in Perry Township, along with emergency services as the small plane made an emergency landing due to mechanical failure and landed just off the highway, hitting a guard rail on the right shoulder of the highway.
The OPP say there were no injuries reported as a result of the incident.
Myers believes the plane came within a foot of hitting his vehicle. However, he believes the pilot veered off the highway to try and avoid hitting his truck.
"I would love to chat with the pilot to see if he or she had the same perspective that the plane was just about to hit me and maybe that's why the pilot was ruddering it to the right side of the road to avoid me at the same time," he said.
"We could see in the mirrors of the vehicle that the plane hit the end of the guard rail and stopped immediately, and we were thankful it didn't flip or anything, but it was just bizarre."
Myers says he immediately called 9-1-1 but could not find a spot to turn around on the four-lane highway to check on the pilot.
He's thankful that no one was injured, but he wants to connect with the pilot.
"I think he may have had a clean landing on the highway if it hadn’t been for him trying to avoid my truck," Myers said.
He would like to thank the pilot personally too.
"I would love to know what his perspective was and how close he was to my truck, thank God he is okay, and I would just like to say 'great job piloting.'"
Anyone who has a connection with the pilot can reach out to Pete Myers at Myerspete76@gmail.com.