Crime & Safety
Light Plane Lands Off I-5 In Camp Pendleton Area
The aircraft is registered to Carmel Valley man, and southbound Interstate 5 blocked following the landing, officials said.
OCEANSIDE, CA — A private pilot in a disabled light airplane made a safe emergency landing on Interstate 5 near Camp Pendleton Monday.
The single-engine Piper PA24 touched down on the southbound side of the freeway near Basilone Road in the San Onofre area about 12:45 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol and Federal Aviation Administration. No property damage or injuries were reported.
According to the CHP, the plane landed on the roadway "due to mechanical failure."
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The flier was the sole occupant of the aircraft, which is registered to a Carmel Valley man, according to FAA records.
The pilot was en route from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in Serra Mesa when the plane began malfunctioning, the federal agency reported.
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The downed plane left the far right-hand southbound lane of the interstate blocked for about 45 minutes, leading to heavy congestion in the area through the early afternoon, according to the CHP.
--City News Service contributed to this post
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