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By Miriam Raftery
Photo by Mary Loeza, Mom'sTravel Team
September 10, 2023 (El Cajon) – An engine cut off while an aviation student was piloting a plane yesterday slated to land at Gillespie Field in El Cajon. The instructor, Steve Mitchell, 67 with Blue Max Aviation, told Fox 5 that he took over the controls and made an emergency landing, crashing into a wire fence around the airport as well as a fence on private property, dragging it across Magnolia Avenue.
A Honda Civic driven by a 44-year-old Santee woman struck the fence on the roadway. Fortunately, neither the driver nor her 18-year-old passenger were injured, says Officer Jared Grieshaber with the California Highway Patrol.
A Heartland Fire and Rescue crew responded to the scene at Magnolia Ave. and Airport Drive around 11 a.m.
The airplane's occupants were treated for minor injuries at the scene and released.
Charles Castle of San Diego, 25, the student, said he closed his eyes and hoped for the best, adding, “We got very lucky.”
The student and pilot were the only ones on board the small plane, a Bellanca Citabria7ECA.
It is unclear why the engine stalled or why the flight instructor had difficult restarting it. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
The hard landing revives safety concerns among residents and is the latest in a string of crashes or near-misses at or near Gillespie Field in recent years, including several that caused fatalities, major injuries, and/or struck homes in the vicinity.
On Facebook, several residents voiced concerns:
Top contributor
The amount of crashes coming in and out of that airport. Could have easily hit a car with people in it. It’s concerning
We saw it come down while on the freeway. Scared the S**t out of us! Hope all on board are ok!!!!
it is really dangerous how they are flying at very low level all day, a couple of years ago one crashed into a house and on top of a delivery man who died
But others praised the pilot.
With no preliminary information. No downed power lines, no post-crash fire, plane is right side up. Good job by the pilot!
Top contributor
Awesome job to the pilot.
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