Two Escape After Plane Lands on Southern California Freeway

CORONA, Calif. (AP) — A single-engine airplane landed and caught fire Tuesday on a Southern California freeway and the pilot and a passenger were able to escape safely, authorities said.

The Piper PA-32 was flying to Corona Municipal Airport when the pilot reported engine trouble and landed in eastbound lanes of State Route 91 in Riverside County, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Local TV news showed dashcam footage of the plane landing in moving traffic and bursting into flames on the freeway near Corona. No injuries were reported.

The pilot, Andrew Cho, told the Southern California News Group that he and his passenger had time to get out before the flames spread.

Cho, 54, said they had taken off from Corona airport about an hour earlier and were planning to return when the engine suddenly lost power.

“There was an empty spot (on the freeway) so we went for that,” Cho said. “Thank God we really didn’t hit anybody.”

The plane clipped the left-rear of a Toyota Tundra pickup.

Cho said he is the co-owner of the Piper.

The FAA said it was investigating.

About the photo: The burned remains of a small airplane that crashed on the 91 Freeway, west of the 15 Freeway in Corona are photographed on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. Although the aircraft caught fire, no injuries were reported. (Watchara Phomicinda/The Orange County Register via AP)