A pilot escaped serious injury when his small plane went down in Chula Vista Friday morning while en route to Brown Field Municipal Airport, ending up down on a hillside.
The 1941 Stinson fixed-wing biplane was first reported as touching down on state Route 125 south of East H Street after its engine failed around 6:45 a.m., according to a Chula Vista police statement. However, it was gone before authorities arrived.
It went down again shortly afterward on a hillside near the intersection of Eastlake and Hunte parkways, east of state Route 125, and came to a rest upside down, police said.
The plane was substantially damaged in the emergency landing, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.
The pilot was seen walking around after setting the aircraft down, police said. No one else was aboard.
The pilot was evaluated at the scene for complaints of pain, but was not taken to a hospital, according to police and fire officials.
FAA records showed the single-engine aircraft was registered to John D. Nance of San Diego, but it was not immediately confirmed if he was at the controls.
Gregor said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the emergency landing.
