UPDATE (9:47 P.M.): California Highway Patrol (CHP) said crews are still on scene, there are no road closures at this time. CHP also said the plane will stay at the scene overnight.
SBC Fire said PG&E is still working on fixing the damaged power line.
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A small plane flying from Van Nuys to San Luis Obispo Airport was forced to land because of a reported engine issue.
Santa Barbara County Fire officials responded to the scene at 5:14 P.M. at 2600 Clark Road, just 5 miles away from the Santa Maria Airport.
Fire officials said the pilot tried to divert to the Santa Maria Airport, but the aircraft hit a power line while trying to land.
AIRCRAFT FORCED LANDING DUE TO MECHANICAL FAILURE - 2600 Clark Rd, Santa Maria. The single engine Beechcraft Bonanza was en route from Van Nuys to San Luis Obispo Airport and reported engine trouble, then tried to divert to Santa Maria Airport. (1 of 3) pic.twitter.com/HH3mbsvy3H
— SBCFireInfo (@EliasonMike) October 30, 2022
The pilot managed to come to a full stop without impacting any traffic.
In a Tweet, Santa Barbara County Fire public information officer Mike Eliason said “the pilot and no one on the ground was injured.”
PG&E is responding to the scene as well to fix the powerline.
Eliason added that the “Santa Maria Airport will make FAA notifications and officials will determine how to remove the aircraft.”
This is a developing story.
