A low-flying light plane attempting to land at a California airport marked by safety concerns ploughed into power lines before crashing Monday.
Terrifying footage has emerged of the planecareening into utility poles along Van Nuys Boulevard just blocks from the Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, leaving the 70-year-old male pilot hospitalized in critical condition.
In video posted Tuesday on X, the plane was seen flying close to the power lines when it clipped them, flipping over and nosediving into the ground.
WATCH: Dramatic moment plane crashes into power lines, triggering explosion in Pacoima, Californiapic.twitter.com/HxfO5VVlit
LAFDsaid the plane, a single-engine Cessna owned by Vista Aviation and rented by the pilot, was doing patterns around the airport when it hit the power lines, eventually crashing into a parking lot at an O’Reilly’s auto shop. It had only been in the air for about 10 minutes. The pilot was found outside the plane.
A bystander who helped the pilot toldKTLAthat “half his body was crushed from the plane.”
“And that’s when they cut the belt and they picked up the plane, and that’s when we dragged him out, between me and three guys,” Luz De La Cruz, said.
The pilot was transported to the hospital.
The crash knocked power out to some parts of the area, with theoutlet reportingthat crews were working to restore it on Tuesday.
Community activist, Roberto Barragan, from Icon CDC,told NBC 4the crash showed why residents wanted the airport closed in the ”highly urbanized” location.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
