4 Bystanders Run For Their Lives As Small Plane Crashes In Pacoima
PACOIMA (CBSLA.com) — Four men had to run for their lives as a small plane crashed near where they had been standing in Pacoima Saturday.
Reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, Kristine Lazar spoke to the men who had just seconds to run out of the way of the wayward plane.
The pilot and passenger were both injured. The four men described both as having large gashes on their heads.
Gary Najaryan took cell phone video of the plane moments after it crashed.
The plane was making its final approach to Whiteman Airport just before noon when it crashed into a wrought iron fence.
That fence -- between a medical supply business and welding shop -- pierced the cockpit and came dangerously close as going through the seats of the pilot and the passenger.
Lazar said, "You could still hear the gas leaking from the plane."
Gary Obdzhanyan said, "My friend screamed, 'Run!' That plane is coming right at us. We just ran for our lives."
George Obdzhanyan said, "The plane was very low and I didn't hear any engine noise.
Gary described the passenger and the pilot as being silent. "They couldn't talk. They were both in shock."
LAFD Battalion Chief Randy Beaty said, "I've been on a couple of these (calls) and surviving is not something we typically see."
The pilot and his passenger were both taken to an area hospital.
No one was injured on the ground.
The FAA and NTSB will both investigate the crash, reports Lazar.
