Overview
- Dashcam and bystander video show a single‑engine Cessna 172S striking high‑voltage lines and flipping into an O’Reilly Auto Parts parking lot in Pacoima in a Monday late‑morning crash that left the 70‑year‑old pilot hospitalized in critical condition.
- Flight‑tracking data indicate the plane departed nearby Whiteman Airport, stayed aloft for under 10 minutes, turned back toward the field, and was reported as registered to a local flight school.
- Bystanders lifted the overturned aircraft to free the unconscious pilot as firefighters arrived, and crews evacuated nearby shops and homes due to downed live wires and leaking fuel.
- The impact damaged utility lines and cut electricity for nearly 100 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers, and federal investigators from the FAA and NTSB are reviewing the cause.
- Local officials and residents renewed calls to close the county‑owned airport, while FAA guidance says land bought with federal funds cannot be repurposed without formal federal review, a hurdle that has stalled past closure efforts.