A small plane crashed just west of the Fallbrook airport on Tuesday afternoon, sparking a small fire in the median of a four-lane road but not hitting any cars, authorities said.
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The 72-year-old pilot was the only one aboard when the single-engine Cessna 182 Skylane went down near the Fallbrook Airpark shortly before 2 p.m., authorities said. The pilot declined to be transported to a hospital, said Capt. John Choi, spokesperson for North County Fire Protection District.
“The pilot was conscious, alert and talking to deputies and paramedics,” said sheriff’s Lt. Nick Backouris.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, which charred about a 10-by-10-foot patch of vegetation between the northbound and southbound lanes of South Mission Road near Airpark Road, Choi said.
A small plane crashed near Fallbrook Airpark on Tuesday afternoon, sparking a small fire in the median of South Mission Road, but not hitting any cars. (North County Fire Protection District)
He said the plane clipped some trees before coming to rest upside down near South Mission Road.
There were no impacts to vehicles on the road. “Thankfully just that little fire in the median that was caused by it,” Choi said.
Witnesses told firefighters it was windy at the time of the crash and speculated that it may have caused the plane to go off course, Choi said. The crash will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Officials shut down South Mission from Mission Oaks Road to South Stage Coach Lane as the crash was investigated. The plane ended up in the Los Jilgueros Preserve, and traffic lanes will remain closed until officials determine if hazmat mitigation measures are needed.