California Woman Struck by Small Plane During Crash Landing on Soccer Field
A California woman was struck by a small airplane that crashed in a Long Beach park during an attempted emergency landing on Tuesday, according to first responders. The emergency landing attempt took place around 4 p.m. on a soccer field at Heartwell Park, the Long Beach Fire Department said on Facebook. When units arrived, they found one small aircraft on its belly with broken landing gears. The plane’s fuselage was intact. When the plane landed, it collided with a pedestrian in the park.
First responders helped remove the pilot, described as an elderly man, from the aircraft. The pilot and the woman, who is in her 40s, were transported to a hospital in moderate but stable condition. Preliminary information indicates the plane was headed back to Compton after a stop in French Valley when it went down, the fire department said. The pilot of the ‘possibly experimental aircraft’ may have been attempting to make it to Long Beach Airport for an emergency landing, about a mile and a half from where the plane crashed, KTLA reported.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The incident highlights the risks associated with emergency landings and the unexpected circumstances that can lead to such accidents.