EL CAJON, Calif. — Pilot instructor Steve Mitchell and his 25-year-old student Charles Castle said they’ve flown together numerous times, but what they didn’t expect is for the engine to give out mid-air.
"Oh heck, here we go. It was surreal. I wasn’t afraid or anything," said Mitchell.
Around 11 a.m. Saturday, the small plane crashed into a chain-link fence on Magnolia Avenue near Airport Drive before smashing into the airport fence just 5 feet away from the runway they were aiming for at Gillespie Field in El Cajon.
"I closed my eyes because he was in control. I just hoped for the best," said Castle.
The emergency landing shut down Magnolia Avenue and Airport Drive for several hours. As the plane came crashing down, a driver heading north on Magnolia Avenue ran over the chain link fence that the plane had hit and dragged into the middle of the street.
"It was an abrupt jerk and it was pretty aggressive. I wasn’t thinking at that time. I was trying to get in control of the car. It ripped the bottom of my car off," said the driver, Katie Owen, who also had her daughter riding along in the passenger seat.
Somehow, everyone involved in this situation walked away without any injuries.
"What are the chances and odds of this happening? Zero," smiles Owen.
"We got very lucky, very lucky," said Castle.
Despite the incident, the pilot and student plan to take to the skies again soon.
"Will I fly again? Absolutely yeah!" said Mitchell.
"I'm flying next week. I'm going back up right away," said Castle.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration will continue to investigate.
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