The plane crashes and bursts into flames after hitting a pickup truck on the busy California freeway after a “possible engine failure” — as the pilot and passenger somehow escape the fiery wreck unharmed
- A light aircraft crashed into a busy freeway in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon
- Incredibly, both the pilot and his passenger were to escape upon landing
- The plane’s wing struck a pickup truck, causing fuel to ignite across the east lanes of the 91 Freeway
- The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the crash
The pilot and passenger of a small, single-engine plane escaped unscathed after crash-landing on a California freeway Tuesday afternoon.
Andrew Cho, piloting the Piper Cherokee, lost engine power and so chose to use the 91 freeway near Corona in Riverside County, east of LA, as a runway.
Dashcam footage captured the dramatic moment the plane touched down between cars in the eastbound lanes at around 12:30 p.m.
The landing was almost flawless until one of the wings grazed a passing pickup truck, tearing one of its wings and spinning the plane around, spilling combustible fuel across the road surface.
A small plane was seen crash-landing on a busy California highway
The plane grazed a pickup truck, sending it sideways as it sped across the lanes
The burned remains of a light aircraft that crashed on Freeway 91 west of Freeway 15 in Corona were photographed Tuesday
Although the plane caught fire, no injuries were reported as the pilot and his passenger escaped unharmed
Smoke from the fuel could be seen all over the roadway. The plane came to a stop at the side of the road
“It felt like a hard bump. Difficult to describe,” pilot Andrew Cho told KTLA. “We were four to five feet in the air when the plane stalled completely and fell to the ground.”
The plane burst into flames as it sped across the freeway lanes before coming to a stop on the shoulder.
Seconds later, passing drivers captured the moment as Cho and his business partner fled the burning wreckage with their lives as thick black smoke billowed into the air.
“It felt like a hard bump. Difficult to describe,” Cho told KTLA. “We were four to five feet in the air when the plane stalled completely and fell to the ground.”
Cho said it was all due to training that allowed him to successfully crash land.
“Your training kicks in and you’re doing the right thing. As long as you don’t panic, you’ll get the best result,” he explained.
The Corona fire brigade was on site quickly when the plane was burning on the hard shoulder
Firefighters worked to put out the flames of this most unusual fire on the 91 Freeway
A firefighter put out the flames as the plane lay at the side of the road
A California Highway Patrol officer walks past the burned remains of a small plane that crashed on the 91 Freeway
“The pilot claims he suffered a possible engine failure during his final descent to Corona Municipal Airport,” said California Highway Patrol Captain Levi Miller.
“We are very fortunate today that traffic was light and the pilot appears to have made good landing navigation that prevented a very bad tragedy,” added Miller.
The driver and three occupants of a pickup truck that was also hit by one of the plane’s wings were also unhurt.
Portions of the freeway were closed for several hours while the wreckage was cleared and Federal Aviation Administration investigators attempted to uncover the cause of the crash.
The plane came to a standstill on the hard shoulder, although several lanes were closed for hours
Portions of the freeway were closed for several hours while the wreckage was cleared and Federal Aviation Administration investigators attempted to uncover the cause of the crash