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# Small plane makes emergency landing on California highway
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/small-plane-makes-emergency-landing-on-california-highway/
- Published: 2020-07-29T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-12-04T14:24:22.000Z
- Description: SAN ONOFRE, Calif. (AP) — The pilot of a small plane that lost engine power made a safe emergency
- Author: Associated Press
- Tags: News, Transportation, emergency landing, highway, plane, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-11-06 12:37

SAN ONOFRE, Calif. (AP) — The pilot of a small plane that lost engine power made a safe emergency landing on a Southern California highway, authorities said.

After rejecting the Pacific Coast Highway as a possible landing spot because it was too narrow, the pilot opted to set the Piper PA24 down on Interstate 5, the Orange County Register reported.

He timed the landing for a break in traffic around 12:45 p.m. on Monday near Camp Pendleton, said California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Latulippe.

“The pilot … landed (the plane) on the freeway lanes without hitting any vehicles and veered to the right shoulder to remove the aircraft from the (roadway),” Latulippe said.

The 55-year-old pilot, the sole occupant of the late 1950s-model plane was en route from Orange County’s John Wayne Airport to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego when the engine failed, the newspaper reported.

The plane was loaded onto a truck and hauled to Oceanside Municipal Airport for repairs, Latulippe said.