A pilot made an emergency landing on a California highway in response to a reportedly possible engine failure, resulting in the plane crashing into a truck before erupting into flames on Aug. 9.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) said the crash occurred just after 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon on the eastbound lanes of the 91 Freeway in Riverside County, reported KTLA.
Video footage from the Corona Fire Department captured the dramatic scene of pilot Andrew Cho flying the Piper Cherokee onto the highway, using it as a runway. The plane glided across until the right wing was ripped off by a passing pickup truck, sending the plane spinning across the pavement. A trail of inflammable jet fuel followed the plane’s careening path.
“The pilot claims to have experienced possible engine failure on their final descent to Corona Municipal Airport,” said California Highway Patrol Captain Levi Miller to KTLA.
Massive plumes of smoke billowed from the plane half-engulfed in flames. A firefighter quickly put out the fire before the situation got worse. CHP said a truck with three people inside was impacted by the plane. Fortunately, the three people, the pilot, and the passenger on the plane were left unscathed.
“[We’re] very fortunate today that the traffic was light, and the pilot appears to have made some good landing navigation that avoided what could have been a very bad tragedy,” said Miller.
“It felt like a hard bump. Hard to describe,” said Cho. “We were four to five feet in the air when the plane stalled completely and fell to the ground.”
Law enforcement closed parts of the highway to gather further evidence at the plane wreckage site. Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration are working to find the cause.
This investigation is still currently ongoing.
