In Long Beach, California, a small plane struck a woman who was walking in a park while attempting an emergency landing. Both the pilot and the woman were taken to hospital; their conditions were reported as stable.
In an unusual accident in Long Beach, California, a small plane hit a woman in Heartwell Park while making an emergency landing. Both the pilot and the woman were injured in the incident.
According to a statement from the Long Beach Fire Department, the plane was en route back to Compton from French Valley and was forced to make an emergency landing for reasons yet to be determined.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the plane resting on its belly with its landing gear broken but its fuselage intact. In a Facebook post, the fire department stated, “The aircraft struck a pedestrian walking in the park as it landed.”
According to the Huffington Post, the pilot, described as elderly, was removed from the plane by crews and transported to hospital with paramedics. The woman, said to be in her 40s, was also taken to hospital after being injured in the impact. Both were reported to be in moderate but stable condition.
Local media outlet KTLA reported that the pilot is believed to have been flying an experimental aircraft. It is thought that, just before the crash, the pilot was attempting to divert the plane toward Long Beach Airport, about 2.5 kilometres away.
Authorities announced that the investigation into the crash is being conducted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
