One person hurt after small plane crashes in Concord
CONCORD (KTVU) -- The occupant of a small plane was hurt Friday after the aircraft may have experienced a hard landing just short of the runway, authorities said.
The incident happed near Buchanan Field Airport, located at 550 Sally Ride Drive, before 3 p.m., authorities said. The plane came to rest at the intersection of Solano Way and Marsh Drive.
The lone occupant in the plan was removed from the aircraft and taken to a local hospital for treatment. No other injuries were reported.
According to records maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft is a fixed-wing, single engine Glastar plane aircraft. Airport officials said they received the call around 2:45 p.m. about a plane that failed to reach the runway and had to abort with a hard landing.
Footage from the scene showed that the left wing of the aircraft was sheared off.
An FAA official said the plane was attempting to return to Buchanan Field shortly after takeoff when the pilot encountered mechanical problems. The plane crash landed short of the runway and came to a rest on a Concord street just adjacent to a Dodge dealership, the official said.
"He got himself out, started feeling stomach pain and as a precaution was taken by ambulance to the hospital," said Keith Freitas, director of airports at Contra Costa County.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.
The tail wing found the plane registered to Snagwood Corporation, a general contrating business in Brentwood, California.
Freitas said accidents like this are rare, but in this case, the pilot did the only thing he could do-- put the plane down at a busy intersection.
"That's what pilots are trained to do if you have issues. Look for somewhere safe to put it down. He did the best he could and at this point, we're happy with where we are.
Contra Costa County hazmat teams carefully drained fuel from the wings. Bystanders were stunned the pilot walked away.
The pilot was transported to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.
Bay City News contributed to this report.