The light plane the pilot was flying crashed onto a public street in El Cajon on Thursday, but he was able to escape the debris and escape.
According to Heartland Fire & Rescue spokesperson Andy McKellar, the plane went down just after 10:30 a.m. between two bridges that divide Interstate 8’s eastbound and westbound lanes over Greenfield Drive.
The SUV that the plane brushed when it landed in the roadway sustained just minor damage, according to McKellar. But the aircraft ended up “very substantially battered up,” with its front end twisted such that its propeller was pointing backward, the pilot claimed.
A Small Plane Crashes on the I-8 Freeway
On Thursday, a small plane crashed onto a busy motorway in San Diego and came to rest on a local street in El Cajon, destroying a car and wounding at least one person.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the little silver plane came to a stop under the highway flyover on Greenfield Drive at about 10:45 a.m. after colliding with a railing on Interstate 8. The aircraft was a fixed-wing, single-engine 1951 Cessna 195, according to FlightAware.
What exactly happened on the I-8 Freeway?
On Thursday morning in eastern San Diego County, a small plane crashed.
According to the El Cajon Police Department, the plane came down close to Greenfield Drive and Interstate 8 and landed underneath a bridge.
According to the California Highway Patrol’s incident log, the collision was reported at 10:35 a.m., east of Gillespie Field.
According to the police, the collision forced the closure of the 1700 block of Greenfield Drive. Freeway closures weren’t necessary.
Statement by El Cajon Police department
El Cajon Department Department will help with traffic control, according to a statement from the police on Twitter. CHP is handling the incident. “Please stay away from the area.”
The pilot was outside the plane, according to reports from the scene.
There was no more information available right away.
PUBLIC SAFETY MESSAGE: PLEASE BE ADVISED THERE HAS BEEN A PLANE CRASH IN THE AREA OF GREENFIELD AND I8, UNDER THE BRIDGE. OFFICERS AND FIRE DEPT ON SCENE HANDLING THE INCIDENT. TRAFFIC LANES WILL ALSO BE CLOSED FOR THE OFF RAMPS AND ON RAMPS THE FREEWAY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
— El Cajon Police (@elcajonpolice) August 18, 2022
UPDATE: 1700 Greenfield Dr. will be closed. There are no freeway closures at this time. CHP is handling the incident and El Cajon Police Dept will be assisting with traffic control. Please remain clear of the area.
— El Cajon Police (@elcajonpolice) August 18, 2022
The pilot of the small plane which crashed on I-8
The pilot, a 65-year-old San Diego resident, was seriously hurt in the collision but was expected to live, according to CHP.
Matthew Houser noticed a brilliant glow 100 feet distant when he was driving. Between the overpasses, he saw the plane crash.
According to Garrow, the crash site was a “very tiny sight” and the plane did not release much fuel. The cockpit was exposed as a result of the sole engine of the plane, which is placed in the front of the craft, being partially torn off.
It’s a good thing that no one [on the ground] was hurt, so that’s really fortunate, said Garrow.
Garrow was unable to confirm if the plane was making an attempt to land on the roadway at the time of the crash because the reason for the crash was not immediately obvious. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were en route to the area to conduct their own investigations as CHP was conducting a preliminary inquiry.
Actions by the Police Department about the plane crash
Although Greenfield Drive was blocked by many police cars while the crash was being investigated, there were no motorway closures as a result of the collision.
The El Cajon Police Department initially said that various on- and off-ramps in the vicinity would be restricted, but later clarified that there would be no impact on the motorway. The region was warned against drivers.
Responding to the site were the ECPD, Heartland Fire Department, and California Highway Patrol.
A similar incident like the plane crash on the I-8 freeway
Recent years have seen a number of reported aviation crashes close to the little airport west of SR-67 and SR-52. A small Learjet that crashed into a residential street in Santee in December 2021 killed four people—two of whom were on the ground at the time—and completely destroyed two homes.
And in 2018, a flying instructor successfully made a tiny plane landing on the Interstate 8 motorway without colliding with any cars. The destination of the flight was Gillespie Field.
According to NTSB investigations, NBC 7 Investigates discovered there have been at least 41 plane or helicopter accidents in San Diego County neighborhoods since 2010. 36 of them passed away, and another 25 had life-threatening injuries.
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With more than 600 flights arriving and departing each day, Gillespie Field is one of the busiest small aircraft airports in our region and provided the majority of the flights. There were nine incidents involving aircraft flying to or from Kearny Mesa’s Montgomery-Gibbs Airport.
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