The pilot of a single-engine Cessna was hospitalized after his plane apparently struck power lines and crashed in a parking lot of an auto-parts store in Pacoima just after 11 a.m. on Monday, April 20, authorities said.
A group of men pushed the aircraft up off the ground of the lot, near Van Nuys Boulevard and Ralston Avenue, and pulled the pilot out of the upside down plane that ended up near parked cars before first responders arrived.
The 70-year-old pilot was the only person on board, the Los Angeles Fire Department said, and taken to a hospital in critical condition. It was unclear what injuries he suffered.
After the crash, high-voltage power lines along the perimeter of the parking lot were down. The LAPD evacuated local businesses and homes at one point, and power was temporarily shut off.
The aircraft is a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, registered to a flight school based out of the Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
The FAA will investigate the crash, the agency said.
The pilot had just taken off from Whiteman Airport, according to FlightAware, an independent website that tracks flights. The runway is about a mile from where the plane ended up.
Some community members have called for the airport to close, citing environmental concerns and a 2020 fatal crash.
“Since 2020, I have called for the closure of Whiteman Airport due to repeated plane crashes,” Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who represents the 7th district, said on Monday, April 20, in a statement. “This county-owned airport is poorly managed and continues to place serious health and safety threats on the Pacoima community.”
Airport supporters have highlighted its role in the local economy, its use by pilots flying small planes and the airfield’s ability to help first responders.
