Engine failure may have caused a small plane to crash on one of San Jose’s busiest streets on Saturday, according to air traffic control recordings.
Two adults and a child were in the plane when it went down at the intersection of Capitol Expressway and Excalibur Drive. They did not suffer any life-threatening injuries, the San Jose Fire Department said.
Air traffic control recordings indicate the pilot was in trouble before the crash.
“We are having engine failure,” the pilot could be heard saying. “I’m declaring an emergency.”
The Cessna 177 aircraft was based at Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose and was part of a flight club linked to San Jose State University.
In a statement, the university said, “The aircraft involved is owned and operated by Flying20, an independent flying club. While Flying20’s membership includes some San Jose State University alumni, employees and students, the club is not operated by the university.”
The vice president of the flight club declined to comment about the crash.
Neighbors said this was not the first time a plane flying out of Reid-Hillview has crashed near their homes. Maria Reyes has lived near the airport for 54 years and said she wants Reid-Hillview to close to protect her neighborhood.
“We live with the constant fear of another airplane flying into our community and crashing,” she said. “People don’t seem to understand that that’s an anxiety that we live with day in and day out. We don’t know if there’s going to be another crash.”
The fire department said it responded to another plane crash at Reid-Hillview Friday night. No one was hurt.
The FAA said it’s investigating.
NBC Bay Area reached out to the NTSB but did not immediately receive a response.
