Plane Crash-Lands on 12th Hole; No One Hurt, Golfers Take Par

An antique single-engine plane on its way to an air show developed engine trouble over the San Carlos section of San Diego on Saturday morning and crash-landed at Navajo Valley Golf Course.

The plane, a 1938 Waco, was en route from Montgomery Field to Brown Field when the engine “just quit,” a Federal Aviation Administration official said.

No one in the plane or on the ground was injured, said San Diego police Sgt. Nate Caplan. On board were pilot Bill Allen, his wife, Maxine, and Dennis Ciapora, all of San Diego.

“It just started sputtering,” Maxine Allen said. “We couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it. We knew that that was it, so Bill started looking for a place to put it down.”

The plane scattered golfers on the crowded course as it touched down on a fairway and then bounced in and out of a sand trap and onto the green at the 12th hole, witnesses said. The plane’s landing gear, propeller and bottom wing were damaged considerably, Caplan said.

Golfers were instructed to take par on the 12th hole and play on.

“I heard someone say, ‘Look Out! Look Out! There’s a plane!’ ” said Kris Owen, 19, who was operating a snack shop near the tee for the 12th hole. “It looked like the plane was going to hit the shack but it didn’t.”

The FAA is investigating.