Two are injured after a small airplane crashed into a La Mesa church parking lot on Sunday.
According to the Heartland Fire-Rescue, the plane crashed around 3 p.m. in a canyon next to the evangelical Lake Murray Community Church on Lake Murray Boulevard.
An American Medical Response ambulance was passing by at the time of the incident and found the injured pilot and passenger.
The pilot was able walk out of the place and climb out of the hill with assistance from first responders. But the passenger had to be rescued using a rope and a stretcher system.
Both had mild to moderate injuries and were transported to the hospital for treatment.
The injuries are not life-threatening at this time.
Heartland Fire Captain Sonny Saghera said the two people in the aircraft were adult men in their 50s and were described as experienced pilots.
“It absolutely could have been a lot worse. It looks like the pilots have been able to find this small area of space, which this is a big parking lot, and able to take it down into the canyon,” Saghera said. “Luckily, they missed houses and the church.”
Several power lines were also impacted in the crash.
The aircraft’s flight path and what caused it to go down remains under investigation by authorities.
