A small plane crash-landed in the back yard of a home in Compton this afternoon, injuring the pilot.
The single-engine plane experienced engine failure and went down in the 1900 block of Reeves Street minutes after taking off from nearby Compton/Woodley Airport about 2:40 p.m., according to Compton Fire Department Interim Chief Brian Batiste.
“The pilot attempted to land the plane on Central Avenue but was unable to,” Batiste said.
The pilot, in his mid- to late-50s, was able to get out of the plane before paramedics arrived and treated him at the scene for a deep laceration above the left eye, Batiste said. He was taken to a hospital for further treatment of the non-life-threatening injury.
“The plane sustained major damage to its prop, passenger compartment and right wing,” according to a sheriff’s statement.
The plane damaged the rear fence of the property where it went down, but no one on the ground was injured.
The pilot was the only person aboard the single-engine Piper PA28, said Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration, which will investigate the crash along with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The plane was registered to Compton-based Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, according to a check of the aircraft’s N number. The registration expired on Sept. 30, according to the FAA registry.
— Wire reports