The FAA and NTSB is investigating after a small plane crashed in Wilmington. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News on Sept. 25, 2023.
Two people on-board a small plane were hospitalized after it crashed Monday afternoon on a soccer field.
The crash was reported at 401 W. Westmont Dr. in Wilmington. Video from NewsChopper4 showed debris scattered on the field around the plane.
The pilot, who was still in the plane when LAFD arrived, was rescued from the wreckage. Both of the people on board were transported to a hospital “in at least critical condition,” LAFD said.
No other injuries or a fire were reported.
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Witnesses, including a man working at the field, rushed to help the victims.
"I thought it was just a toy plane, because they do fly model airplanes here but a very large one, but then it crashed and I did see it was a passenger plane," said J.R. Romero. "I saw a door hanging out, and I did see the individuals male and female kind of hunched forward, so I ran to the plane. I was able to open it up. The woman, she was responsive, the male wasn’t breathing at all."
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Romero said more people arrived within minutes to help get the woman out of the wreckage. He added that the woman had cuts on her face and legs but was able to stand once they freed her from the plane. The male passenger, however, looked critically injured.
Details about what led to the crash were not immediately available. The plane departed from Torrance.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident. Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact LAFD at 213-978-3800.
