Small plane lands on road in Santa Maria
A single-engine aircraft made a forced landing on a street in Santa Maria on Saturday after experiencing mechanical problems, authorities reported.
The Beechcraft Bonanza landed at about 4 p.m. in the 2600 block of Clark Road, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The plane had been en route from the Van Nuys Airport to the San Luis Obispo Airport when the pilot reported engine trouble and diverted toward the Santa Maria Airport.
But the plane got within only five miles of that airport before landing on the road.
The craft hit a power line on the way down, “but the pilot managed to avoid traffic and even came to a stop off the road,” fire department public information officer Mike Eliason in a tweet.
Neither the pilot nor anyone on the ground was injured.
Utility crews were dispatched to repair the downed power line.
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