The chief pilot for the Huntington Beach Police Department was credited for helping a small plane make an emergency landing without a scartch.

The Cessna 177 Cardinal made a distress call at around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, with the plane's pilot saying it's having engine problems.

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Jason Poulos, the police helicopter pilot for Huntington Beach police, said he was patrolling in the air when he heard the call.

"We heard a pilot come over air traffic control frequency," Poulos said. "We immediately staged emergency resources in the area."

The chief pilot said he worked with the air traffic control tower at John Wayne Airport where the plane was trying to land.

But when Poulos realized the small plane was not going to make

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