A plane built in 1946 crashed in Pacoima near Whiteman Airport on Saturday, and two people were injured, one seriously.
The fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft landed on a concrete wall at about noon in what fire officials called a "low-impact" crash. It landed between two buildings in a parking lot.
A pilot and co-pilot were taken to a local hospital, one in serious condition and the other in fair condition, according to Erik Scott of the LA Fire Department.
Onlookers were able to get the copilot out of the wreckages before firefighters arrived, according to fire Battalion Chief Randy Beaty.
"Both are very fortunate," Beaty said.
"Crash of this nature -- appears nearly head-first, and then falling back onto a wrought-irong fence with spikes in it," Beaty said. "Amazingly, both survived."
The plane was an Aeronca 11AC, built in 1946, according to Federal Aviation Administration records and a tail number supplied by FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer. The aircraft was registered to a Van Nuys man.
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The plane was about to land at Whiteman Airport when it crashed northwest of the airfield, according to Kenitzer.
"There was substantial aircraft damage," he said in an email.
The engine broke off and landed in an adjacent parking lot, Beaty said.
The plane landed on top of a wall and a wrought-iron fence. Two vehicles and the awning of a building were damaged, Scott said.
There was no fire, but a small amount of fuel leaked, Beaty said.
The crash was at 10725 N. San Fernando Road (map), and the roadway was possibly shut down, Scott said.
The fire department was in touch with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, Scott said. Kenitzer said the NTSB would investigate.
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