Plane crash shuts down I-80 near Google, Switch data centers

LATEST Oct. 22, 11 a.m.A small plane that crashed onto Interstate 80 is leaking 40 to 50 gallons of jet fuel onto the highway, Bob Ryser, Storey County Fire Protection District fire chief, told SFGATE. 

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The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection is addressing the hazardous materials issue on the scene, though the agency does not consider it a “huge leak,” Ryser said. 

It’s still unclear what led to the plane crash. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are on the scene, Ryser added, which will prolong the highway closure. He confirmed that when the plane went down, it collided with a car on the highway with one person inside, who was not injured. 

Authorities have not released an estimated time of reopening for Interstate 80. As of 10:40 a.m., Julia Moreno-Fritz, a spokesperson for Storey County, told SFGATE that traffic cameras showed a crane lifting the aircraft from the road. 

The aircraft departed from Reno-Tahoe International Airport with only the pilot on board, Jena Esposito, an airport spokesperson, told SFGATE in a statement. The plane, which took off at 7:42 a.m., is a single-engine, amphibious Seawind 3000, KRNV-TV Reno reported.

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October 22, 10:33 a.m. All westbound lanes of Interstate 80 east of Reno are closed after a small private plane crashed onto the freeway Thursday morning. The crash happened near the city of Patrick, Nevada, according to the Storey County Sheriff’s Office, and no injuries were reported. Photos of the crash posted on Facebook by the sheriff’s office show the plane wreckage, with debris near the shoulder of the highway.

The closure was reported by the Nevada Department of Transportation just after 8 a.m. near USA Parkway. The location of the crash is also near several data centers, including Google and Switch.

The sheriff’s office is urging the public to avoid the area, and anyone traveling to Reno should use Highway 50 through Carson City to Interstate 580. The latest road closure information can be found on the Nevada 511 website.