A small plane landed on a Santee Street and hit a car, the San Diego Sheriff's Department said.
The incident happened around 10:26 a.m. Saturday. The pilot was heading east, trying to land at Montgomery Field in Kearney Mesa, when he experienced engine failure.
He landed the plane on a residential street not even a quarter of a mile from another nearby airport, GIllespie Field, swerving to avoid power lines on his way down.
An off-duty deputy saw the 25-30 foot Piper Cherokee model 140 plane land on the street and hit a Ford F150 on Prospect Avenue and Cuyamaca Street, near Gillespie Field. He called in the incident.
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The pilot, who identified himself as Rich, told U-T San Diego the mechanical problem forced him to divert his plane from the flight plan and head toward Gillespie Field in El Cajon. He was about a quarter of a mile away when he ended up on a residential street.
“To be honest, it was instinct,” he told the U-T. “I’m going to call my instructor and tell him ‘thank you’ because he taught me well.”
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The pilot and his passenger are okay. The pilot told NBC 7 that he has flying for five years.
There were no injuries and minor damage to a truck the plane clipped on its way down, deputies said.
