2 hospitalized after small plane crashes in Long Beach soccer field
A small custom-built plane crashed in a Long Beach soccer field on Tuesday afternoon.
Flight-tracking data showed that the single-engine airplane took off from French Valley Airport in Murrieta.
The Long Beach Fire Department said the plane crashed at around 4 p.m. in Heartwell Park. In a recorded transmitted radio message, the pilot could be heard saying he was declaring an emergency as he lost power about three miles east of the field.
"I've lost power, declaring an emergency. I don't think I'm going to make it, uh, I'm going … I'm going to pick a field here," the pilot said in his radio message.
Firefighters helped an elderly man out of the plane and took him to the hospital. Paramedics also treated a woman who was walking around the park when the plane crashed.
CBS LA has learned that the woman, Tiffany Harrison, who is deaf and was walking her dog when she was hit.
Harrison's longtime partner, Veronica Barrera, says that she was by their van in the parking lot when she saw the plane closing in on the pair as they walked in the middle of the field.
"My heart dropped and I'm running," Barrera said. "That plane hit her so fast."
She said that Harrison's dog was uninjured in the collision, and that she underwent surgery on Wednesday for the injuries she suffered, including a fractured spine, pelvis and a large gash on her leg.
Dennis Lord, hangar manager for Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 96, Compton Airport, was at the field Tuesday night to help remove the damaged plane.
"Well, I don't know what happened, but I can tell you that it is one of our craft, one of our members," he said. "I'm pleased to hear that he seems to be okay. I'm pleased to hear that the other people involved are also doing well."
Lord noted that the pilot was experienced and intended to land at the Compton Airport. He estimated that the two-seater custom plane was a total loss.
The pilot was the past chairman of the VMC club, which is a safety-oriented club meant to address situations like this one. "He's a good pilot. He's been flying for many, many years," Lord said.
Both the pilot and bystander were in moderate but stable condition.