One person injured as small plane crashes next to California freeway
One person was injured after a small plane crashed next to a freeway in California, according to officials.
Authorities say that the single-engine 1951 Cessna 19 aircraft hit a railing of Interstate 8 in El Cajon, near San Diego, on Thursday morning, and came to rest underneath the freeway.
The plane “skipped off the hood” of a vehicle that was driving on the street below the freeway before it came to a stop but no one in the SUV was injured
The plane’s single engine was torn partially off, leaving the cockpit exposed, according to NBC7.
California Highway Patrol officer Travis Garrow said that the agency received a “mayday” call as the plane was going down.
The pilot, a 65-year-old man from San Diego, suffered major injuries in the accident but is expected to survive, according to CHP.
“Pretty lucky that no one [on the ground] sustained any injuries, so that’s a good thing,” Officer Garrow told NBC7.
He said that it was not immediately clear what caused the plane to crash, or if the pilot had been trying to put it down on the nearby freeway.
CHP is conducting a preliminary investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will also carry out their own probes.
There have been at least 41 plane or helicopter crashes in San Diego County since 2010, according to NTSB data. investigations that have led to 36 deaths and 25 injuries.
