Small Plane Crashes Onto California Overpass in Fiery Emergency Landing
Three occupants survived the incident, which was captured on dashcam video.
A small propeller plane crashed onto an overpass in San Jose, California, on Saturday afternoon, narrowly missing vehicles on the road below. The aircraft, identified as a 1960 Cessna 177A Cardinal, was attempting an emergency landing when its left wing struck a lamppost, causing it to spin out of control.
Dashcam footage from a vehicle on the overpass shows the Cessna flying at a low altitude before impact. The collision with the lamppost caused the plane to tilt and rotate 180 degrees before it landed nose-first on the roadway. It then spun another 180 degrees and came to a stop in an upright position.
San Jose Fire Department officials reported that two adults and one child were aboard the aircraft. All three survived the crash and were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Miraculously, no vehicles on the road or their occupants were harmed in the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the pilot had reported engine issues prior to the crash. The FAA is currently investigating the incident. Firefighters responded to the scene to manage a minor fuel leak, which was quickly contained and absorbed.
Records indicate the plane was registered to Flying Twenty Inc., a nonprofit flight club associated with San Jose State University. This crash occurred just one day after another plane experienced an incident at the same San Jose airport, though no injuries were reported in that earlier event.