Pilot flies small plane under overpass to make emergency landing on 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa; no injuries reported

A man authorities described as an experienced pilot flew under an overpass and made a safe emergency landing on the 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa Sunday night after his small plane’s engine failed and powerful Santa Ana winds prevented him from getting to John Wayne Airport.

The incident was reported about 7:50 p.m., according to the Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department.

The occupants were out of the plane and no injuries were reported, the department said.

The pilot, identified by KNBC-TV/4 as Izzy Slod, told KTLA-TV/5 that he and a friend were heading to Van Nuys from San Diego when the engine quit. Slod was flying with passenger Daniel Gross, who told KNBC that the plane was a mile or two off the coast when the engine died.

Slod said he had a choice of flying the Beechcraft Bonanza G33 to John Wayne Airport or landing on the beach, but the wind prevented him from getting to the airport. He said he saw an opportunity near a freeway overpass.

“I saw an opening on the highway and I went for it right away,” Slod said. “I had to make a last-minute, last-second judgment on whether or not we could make it over, and we didn’t have the airspeed to make it over, so I went under it.”

The fixed-wing, single-engine plane landed near the northbound exit of Del Mar Avenue near the Orange County fairgrounds. It didn’t hit any cars or cause any collisions on the roadway. Authorities temporarily closed three northbound freeway lanes.

Brief videos tweeted by people in passing cars showed the plane on the right side of the freeway with no visible damage.

Costa Mesa fire Capt. Chris Coates called it a “complete miracle” that traffic on the freeway was light when the pilot decided to land there.

It’s not clear what caused the engine to fail. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, said agency spokesman Allen Kenitzer.

The aircraft was built in 1971, according to FAA records.

Tchekmedyian writes for the Los Angeles Times. Daily Pilot staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

12:20 p.m. Jan. 29: This article was updated with additional information about the plane.

6:50 a.m. Jan. 29: This article was updated with additional details and comments.

8:35 p.m. Jan. 28: This article was updated with additional details and a video tweet.

This article was originally published at 8:25 p.m. Jan. 28.