When a pilot got into mechanical trouble while flying a small plane in California, he did what all trained pilots should do in that position: initiate an emergency landing. But unfortunately, a woman just so happened to be walking below him.
The aircraft was flying overhead at Heartwell Park, Long Beach, and the pilot chose to do an emergency landing procedure on a soccer field in the park, only to collide with a woman on the ground.
Luckily, both the pilot and the woman struck survived the crash. The Long Beach Fire Department was the first people on the scene, and released a statement saying, “When units arrived, they found one small aircraft on its belly with broken landing gears. The plane’s fuselage was intact. When the plane landed, it collided with a pedestrian in the park.”
Small Plane Crash California
— Chyno News (@ChynoNews) October 22, 2025
A small plane has crashed onto a soccer field in Long Beach while attempting an emergency landing, according to reports.
At least one person has been transported to the hospital. Their condition is unknown at this stage.#PlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/a7x7IFo1BJ
The woman is reportedly in her 40s, is said to be in stable condition in hospital. The small airplane was reportedly returning to Compton after a trip to French Valley. Curiously, the airplane is described as “possibly experimental in nature.”
The pilot was reportedly just about one mile away from the Long Beach Airport when he realized he wasn’t going to make the final approach. The investigations are still underway, and the FAA will soon be able to ascertain exactly what happened and how best to avoid this in the future.
The investigation begins
Emergency landings are always scary. It seems miraculous when a pilot does it well and it’s far more complicated than when Denzel Washington did it drunk on Flight. What the Federal Aviation Administration tends to do in the immediate aftermath is investigate whether the procedure was done in accordance with the law.
First, the pilot reports to the nearest airport tower, which could be low on morale right now in lieu of the government shutdown, but the tower plays an important role. They ask the pilot whether they need help to do an emergency landing or whether the pilot has identified an open field all by himself. From that point on, the pilot switches off the engine and uses all the experience he has to ensure everyone on board comes out of the situation alive.
HuffPost mentioned that, in this particular situation, the pilot happens to be “elderly.” The investigation is still ongoing, but this actually plays a huge part in how they will approach it. Once a pilot passes 60, they require far more medical checkups than when they were younger — but as long as they get a clean bill of health, they’re free to fly as usual.
It’s hard to say whether ultimately the shutdown will affect the timeframes and procedures with which the FAA will conduct these investigations. They are highly sought-after professionals at the end of the day, but a furloughed workforce could mean they take a little longer to get things done.
