No one was hurt when a small plane made an emergency landing on Interstate 5 near Camp Pendleton Monday afternoon, the California Highway Patrol said.
The single-engine aircraft had engine failure shortly before 1 p.m, forcing the 55-year-old pilot to bring it down onto I-5 just south of Basilone Road on the northern outskirts of San Diego County, according to the CHP.
The small plane didn't hit anything on its descent and no one on board was injured, CHP reported.
The Piper PA-24 Comanche took off from John Wayne Airport Santa Ana, headed for Montgomery Field in San Diego, at about 12:30 p.m. and didn't make it more than 30 miles before the mechanical error, according to data from FlightAware. The pilot's final destination was not known.
The CHP said the pilot, who has 18 years of flying experience, considered landing on the Pacific Coast Highway but thought it was too narrow for the plane's wingspan and, spotting a break in the traffic on the I-5 South, brought it down there instead.
Following the emergency landing, the aircraft blocked one lane of traffic before the pilot pushed it off the roadway to the right-hand shoulder. Despite the cleared road, traffic was slow in the area for more than an hour.
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Several first responders were called to the incident, including the Camp Pendleton Fire Department. The plane will be towed to the Oceanside Municipal Airport for repairs, according to the CHP.