Small plane crashes in California park, injuring pilot and pedestrian, officials say

A woman and the pilot of a small plane have been hospitalized after the aircraft needed to make an emergency landing at a California park and crashed into the unsuspecting pedestrian, authorities said. The small plane, which had originated from Compton and was headed some 80 miles southeast to French Valley before needing to turn around, made an emergency landing at around 4 p.m. on the 6300 block of Carson in Heartwell Park on one of the soccer fields, according to a statement from the Long Beach Fire Department late Tuesday evening. “When units arrived, they found one small aircraft on its belly with broken landing gears. The plane’s fuselage was intact. When the plane landed, it collided with a pedestrian in the park,” fire officials said. Units who arrived on scene assisted with removi