Footage shows plane crash-landing at California golf course, narrowly missing person walking nearby

(KTXL) – A small plane crash-landed at a popular golf course in Northern California on Sunday afternoon, skidding across the grass before grazing a building near the club’s pro shop.

Miraculously, the pilot did not suffer any serious injuries.

“Everyone’s very lucky … because there’s a parking lot full of cars here, there’s a freeway nearby, there’s houses nearby,” said Sacramento Fire Captain Justin Sylvia. “So this was a very fortunate situation for this pilot.”

The Sacramento Fire Department responded to the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex for reports of an aircraft emergency around 1 p.m. After arriving at the scene, officials learned the pilot had departed from the nearby McClellan air base, but soon experienced mechanical and engine failure about 400 feet in the sky.

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Footage captured by Haggin Oaks shows the plane skidding across a paved area and a putting green before coming to a rest in front of the building. A person can be seen just feet from the plane as it slides past the pavement.

People who witnessed the crash were left in shock.

“We heard a boom, but we didn’t know what it was,” Tim Cowan, a regular golfer at Haggin Oaks, said of the moment the plane crashed. “This is a first. I guess cross it off my bucket list.”

Charlie Lewis, who works at Haggin Oaks, said he was on the range picking up balls when he heard the plane go overhead.

“I saw it and it was like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Lewis said. “It was pretty insane.”

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The incident is currently under investigation by the Sacramento Police Department and the Federal Aviation Administration. Sylvia added that the incident could have easily turned out much worse.

“[The pilot] picked a golf course which is a pretty good location — nice and open,” Sylvia said. “It’s very fortunate that no one was injured, including the pilot. He had a minor laceration to his hand.”

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