Plane Makes Emergency Landing On Costa Mesa Freeway After Engine Failure

In an incident described as a "miracle," a pilot made an emergency landing on the 55 Freeway in California's Costa Mesa Sunday after the plane experienced engine failure. The man, said to be an "experienced pilot," flew the small plane under an overpass before hitting the ground.

The Costa Mesa Fire Department tweeted Sunday night that the plane landed safely, and those on board the plane were not injured in the incident. According to reports, the Beech G33 plane was on its way to John Wayne Airport in the city of Santa Ana from San Diego when the pilot reported engine trouble.

The pilot had two options; he could either fly to John Wayne Airport or land on the beach. However, strong winds hampered his plan to get to the airport due to which he decided to land the plane near a freeway overpass. The plane landed near the northbound exit of Del Mar Avenue near the Orange County Fairgrounds.

"I saw an opening on the highway and I went for it right away," Izzy Slod said. "I had to make a last minute, last second judgment on whether or not we could make it over, and we didn’t have the airspeed to make it over, so I went under it."

Costa Mesa Fire Capt. Chris Coatez told KTLA that it was a "complete miracle" that traffic was light on the freeway at the time of the incident. The incident led to the closure of several lanes of highways as California Highway Patrol officials tried to get the plane off the road.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, Allen Kenitzer, a spokesman for the agency, told the Los Angeles Times.

Photos and videos from the scene were shared on social media showing the plane on the right side of the highway with no visible damage.