SYLMAR (CNS) – A pilot was killed today in the crash of a small airplane on an embankment near the westbound Foothill (210) Freeway in the Sylmar area.
The crash was reported at about 12:30 p.m., when a twin-engine Cessna 337 Skymaster went down near Sayre Street, according to Eva Lee Ngai of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA reported the pilot was the only person aboard the plane. The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed about an hour after the crash that firefighters did not locate any other victims upon searching the aircraft, according to the department’s Margaret Stewart.
Information was not immediately available on the identity of the fatally injured person.
Firefighters quickly contained a small fuel leak, and there was no fire resulting from the crash, according to the LAFD.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, with the NTSB leading the investigation and providing additional updates as they become available, Ngai said.
The crash occurred in the vicinity of Whiteman Airport in Pacoima. The plane apparently struck a bank of trees before hitting the ground on an embankment just off the freeway.
Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.
I was brought up near Whiteman Airport and the presence of the various aircraft was an inspiration for me, I have had over 25 years in the aviation industry both civilian and military.
My point is for the people that want to close Whiteman ,well consider the local violence in Pacoima, San Fernando and Sylmar I don’t know the stats but I am sure that that violence statistics are higher than the aircraft accidents which occur occasionally although dangerous indeed but the Point is that just maybe the heads have their priorities very misplaced. How about fixing the crime In those areas maybe it will save more lives than a single aircraft crash.
Totally agree with Juan! Fix the crime not the aviation! Not a lot of towns have airports. Maybe we should bring back American made and these planes won’t be falling!
The actual reason Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez has pushed to close Whiteman Airport is because she wants to repay the developers who financed her 2017 run for office.
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Look: (https://ethics.lacity.org/pdf/disclosure/CA460/CA460_10525.pdf#view=Fit?EF261B6D-B2D1-2CC8-90CF3D73BFB918F2)
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Rodriguez’ publicly available campaign finance documents tell the tale: they show her 2017 run was financed largely by real estate developers.
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Now Monica’s developer friends want payback: the public land Whiteman Airport occupies.
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Pacoima Beautiful’s anti-airport activities are done to assist Rodriguez’ efforts, likely at her behest. (Pacoima Beautiful uses space at Rodriguez’ office and allegedly does not even pay rent for it).
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Follow the money: the closure push is a land grab and nothing more.