Plane Crashes on Fullerton Street : Accident: The pilot and his passenger escape with minor injuries, but safety fears are renewed for areas bordering the municipal airport.

A small plane stalled on approach to Fullerton Municipal Airport on Friday and hit a telephone pole before crashing on a road about 100 yards short of the runway. The pilot and his passenger escaped with minor injuries.

Robert P. Kelly, 59, of Anaheim Hills and Mary DeGuelle, 37, of Westminster were pulled from the wreckage by several people who had raced to the scene on Artesia Avenue.

“There was gasoline all over the place, so I wanted to get him out of there,” said Ray Lara, 20, who added that Kelly “had crawled out, but only halfway because his feet were caught on something.”

With the help of an unidentified man, Lara freed Kelly’s feet and pulled him out of the Piper 18 Super Cub’s cockpit while two other people rescued DeGuelle.

Kelly had taken DeGuelle on an aerial photography assignment for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, a sheriff’s spokesman said. DeGuelle is a forensic specialist for the department, while Kelly is a captain in the Sheriff’s Reserve Aero Squadron.

Both suffered cuts, bruises and other minor injuries. They were taken by paramedics to St. Jude Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Fullerton and listed in stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The crash occurred at 10:45 a.m. Traffic was light on Artesia at the time, and no other injuries were reported.

Police said Kelly told them his single-engine plane stalled for an undetermined reason. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

Buena Park Mayor Donald L. Bone said the crash underscores a concern for safety in both Buena Park and Fullerton. Planes taking off from the airport fly over the eastern edge of Buena Park.

There have been several crashes near the airport over the years. Most recently, the pilot of a small plane was killed March 20 when his aircraft struck power lines and slammed into an empty parking lot at the Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park. The pilot had been cleared to land in Fullerton after fog diverted him from John Wayne Airport.

Safety was an issue earlier this week, when the two cities went to court to block the state’s attempt to relocate to Fullerton its fleet of helicopters used to spray malathion on areas infested with Mediterranean fruit flies. A Superior Court judge granted their request, but the state has appealed, with a hearing scheduled June 9.

“While we’re always sad to hear when anyone gets injured in an accident . . . I do think that (Friday’s) accident points up the fact why we went to court to fight the state,” Bone said.

“Our concern was the urbanization of the airport and a potential for accidents. I think (the accident) justifies and vindicates our arguments before the courts.”

Bone and Fullerton Mayor A.B. (Buck) Catlin noted that their cities have formed a joint noise and safety committee to investigate crashes at the airport and make recommendations about safety and future use of the airport.

Stacy Wolfe said she has lived in the neighborhood for 11 years, long enough to witness three aircraft crashes.

“You kind of get nervous about” the planes, she said. “But we have a good neighborhood, and it’s one of the things we have to live with.”

This story was written with the help of Michael Ashcraft and Lynda Natali.