Small Plane Hits Cars as It Makes Emergency Landing on California Highway

San Diego Fire Department

By Inside Edition Staff

First Published: 8:27 AM PDT, August 25, 2021

The pilot had planned to land in a nearby field, but it didn't work out that way.

A small plane made an emergency landing in the middle of a California highway, hitting some cars along the way. The incident happened on Tuesday around noon when a single-engine Piper PA-32 with two people inside crashed into Interstate 5 in San Diego, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The plane hit multiple cars and lost part of its wing, but the pair in the plane were not injured. Two people in the cars that were hit suffered minor injuries, though, and were transported to the hospital, according to authorities.

"It was an emergency landing that resulted in a crash," Jose Ysea, a spokesperson for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, told People.

The pilot had tried to land the plane in a nearby field but due to a mechanical failure ended up on the highway. Witnesses told KSWB-TV they were “scared out of their minds.”

"There's jet fuel all over the back of our back seat," a woman who was in one of the cars that was hit told the station. "All of my clothes are soaked and there's glass everywhere."

"It's definitely a story to tell our families," she added.