On Sunday afternoon, a golfer had a narrow escape when a plane crash-landed on a well-known golf course in California.
Videos by Suggest
Security footage captured the incident at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento around 1:15 PM local time, revealing the moment when a single-engine Piper PA28 plane crash-landed on the course. This location is near McClellan Airfield, from which the plane had departed.
In the footage, the tail of the crashing plane zoomed past a startled golfer on the green, not bothering to ask if it could play through.
The footage captures the player getting ready to putt. He suddenly jumps out of the way as a plane lands just yards in front of him, coming to a stop on the putting surface before resting a few yards further along the pathway in front of the pro shop.
The Pilot Reportedly Suffered Minor Injuries Following His Golf Course Crash Landing
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that the pilot was the sole occupant of the aircraft. Remarkably, according to the Sacramento Fire Department, he walked away from the scene with only minor injuries.
“It’s pretty remarkable,” Capt. Justin Sylvia of the Sacramento Fire Department told the LA Times. “There’s a very large populated parking lot right next door to it and on the other side is the freeway.”
Haggin Oaks reported that the plane crashed onto the 10th tee of the Arcade Creek Golf Course. It eventually collided with the Mackenzie Pro Shop.
“Due to clean-up efforts and safety precautions, our restaurant and pro shop will be closed for the remainder of the day,” the golf course wrote on Facebook at the time.
Sylvia told the LA Times that he spoke with the pilot, who revealed that he had taken off from a nearby airport and was at an altitude of 400 feet when he experienced a “complete engine failure.”
“He needed to lay the aircraft down and saw the golf course,” Sylvia told the outlet.
Sylvia reported that the pilot sustained a minor cut on his hand. He was transported to a hospital by fire paramedics after expressing symptoms akin to anxiety.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have initiated an investigation into the cause of the crash.