Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; San Diego, California
Aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances on an interstate.
https://registry.faa.gov/N1097D
Date: 18-AUG-22
Time: 17:35:00Z
Regis#: N1097D
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 195
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: UNKNOWN
Aircraft Missing: No
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: EN ROUTE (ENR)
Operation: 91
City: SAN DIEGO
State: CALIFORNIA
Heartland Fire & Rescue -
At approximately 10:38 this morning, a single-engine aircraft crashed in El Cajon on Greenfield Ave.
Fire units from Heartland, Santee, and San Miguel along with El Cajon PD and CHP, responded to this incident.
The plane came down between the eastbound and westbound lanes of the I-8 freeway.
The pilot managed to get out of the aircraft but did sustain injuries, so was transported to the trauma unit at Sharp Memorial Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
The pilot was alone in the aircraft, and no other injuries were reported for this incident.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, California — A pilot was seriously injured but able to walk away from the wreckage of a light plane that crashed Thursday onto a city street in eastern San Diego County.
The Cessna 195 Businessliner went down shortly after 10:30 a.m. between two bridges separating the eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 8 over Greenfield Drive in El Cajon, Heartland Fire & Rescue spokesman Andy McKellar said.
When it hit the street, the aircraft struck an eastbound Hyundai Santa Fe, leaving the compact SUV with "moderately serious" damage, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Carrie Zub of Alpine, was behind the wheel. Her dog, Finley, was in the back seat.
"I was just coming to the freeway all of a sudden, I didn't know what it was, but a plane hit my front of my car and went and crashed," said Zub.
"I just immediately was like 'Oh my God,' and pulled to the right and stopped," she said. "Just so grateful I'm okay."
The plane, however, wound up "pretty-well banged up," with its nose bent around to the extent that the propeller was essentially facing backward, McKellar said.
The 65-year-old pilot, a San Diego resident and sole occupant of the Cessna 195 Businessliner, was conscious and alert after the crash. Paramedics took him to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego for treatment of significant but apparently non-life-threatening trauma, CHP public-affairs Officer Travis Garrow said.
Neighbor Alfonso Arana captured video of the plane before it went down.
"We see this plane coming in really low, we go 'God he's really really low!'" said Arana. "Then we see him go to an angle and we see him clip a car, and then hit into the bridge. Pretty insane, right?"
Neighbor Johnny Pagano didn't see the crash, but he heard it.
"It sounded more like a trailer or like a car accident," he said. "It didn't sound like a plane crash, it wasn't that loud."
"There were two guys helping [the pilot] he was on the floor," said Pagano. "He looked pretty banged up, no blood or anything on his body, but his face was pretty bad."
No other injuries were reported.
The cause of the crash, which forced a closure of the 1700 block of Greenfield Drive, was not immediately clear.
"We know that (the pilot) was in contact with Gillespie Field (airport) prior to the incident," McKellar said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will seek to determine the cause of the crash, according to an FAA statement.
Intoxication was not believed to have been a factor in the accident, Garrow said.
A well-executed forced landing. A shame about the beautiful classic aircraft, but the pilot did a great job. I hope he recovers well.
ReplyDeleteno recent 30 day ADS-B data or "No History Data (searched last 3 months)" @ flightaware.
ReplyDeleteBecause it has a 978Mhz UAT ADS-B transmitter. Flightaware low altitude coverage for UAT band is crap in most areas.
DeleteNot in that area San Diego County.
DeleteGlad the pilot survived! Might there have been any evidence of fuel leakage at the crash site?
ReplyDeletePlane just came out of major structural repairs from a hard landing
ReplyDeleteThat's a tough break for the owner. A cherished airplane, judging from the polished gleam of it's finish.
Delete