SAN JOSE — A small plane crashed Friday night near Reid-Hillview Airport and landed in an East San Jose residential neighborhood after hitting a utility pole, police and witnesses said.
The pilot was injured and transported from the scene of the crash, which occurred near the intersection of Ocala Avenue and Karl Street.
“It hit a fire pole,” San Jose police Sgt. Patrick Guire said.
The top of the utility pole was splintered and its electrical equipment had been knocked off the structure, this news organization’s observations at the crash site showed.
“There are downed powerlines near the accident site in the 2100 block of Evelyn Avenue,” the police Twitter feed stated.
Witnesses said they saw the pilot lying on the ground near the wrecked airplane before being transported from the scene.
“One adult male pilot was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries,” the San Jose Police Department stated on its Twitter account. “No other injuries were reported.”
Numerous police vehicles and police officers were visible at the crash site Friday night.
Dara Cano, who has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years, said she is concerned about unsafe conditions related to airplanes using Reid-Hillview airport.
“It scares me,” Cano said. “The airport concerns me.”
Cano grew up in the neighborhood and says plane accidents, crashes and near-misses happen all too often.
Overfelt High School, Clyde Fischer Middle School, Donald Meyer Elementary, a boys and girls clubhouse and Hank Lopez Community Center, along with scores of homes, are located with a block or two of the crash site.
“They really need to close this airport as soon as possible,” Cano said.
Source: www.mercurynews.com