Small plane lands on road in Santa Maria, Calif. — but no parachutes
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A small plane has landed at an airport in California after a man was injured by falling trees Wednesday night and then the plane crashed into the road, authorities said.
The man was taken to a hospital and the plane was destroyed, said Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Tim Wilkes.
Wilkes said an employee from a Southern California airline was killed in the crash. The man was not aboard the commercial airline, but he was the only pilot. The plane was probably a small Piper PA-28, Wilkes said.
Police found the aircraft upside down in a driveway. The plane had a black banner saying “United Kingdom,” an airline company logo on the fuselage, and the word “Piper” stenciled on a wing.
The plane was being flown in from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Wilkes said.
Witnesses said the plane crashed into the road sometime after 9 p.m. on Interstate 5.
It’s unclear what caused the crash, Wilkes said.
