San Jose – A small plane was attempting to make an emergency landing Monday afternoon when the engine failed and the plane came to rest upside down, but the pilot was not injured.
According to information from Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Don Morrissey, the plane landed in the area of Metcalf Road and San Felipe Road in unincorporated San Jose about 1pm.
Original reports had the plane landing in the county motorcycle park on Metcalf Road north of Morgan Hill, but the landing site was in fact northwest of the park.
Morrissey said the 46-year-old male pilot is a San Jose resident who was taking a leisure flight in his private plane and began looking for a spot for an emergency landing after realizing the plane was having mechanical problems. He notified the control tower and began circling the area looking for a safe place to land. He heard a loud noise when the engine failed, and quickly found a small pasture to land in. During the landing, the landing gear hit a rock and the plane flipped onto its top.
The pilot got out of the plane and used a two-way radio to contact another plane. Paramedics from the San Jose Fire Department cleared the pilot medically after they found him walking in the area.
Morrissey said the National Transportation Safety Board was contacted and will investigate the crash.
