EL CAJON EL CAJON — Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating what caused a small plane to crash in an El Cajon neighborhood Sunday evening, leaving the pilot hospitalized.
The single-engine Bellanca Viking crashed around 6:15 p.m. on Lily Avenue near Clarke Drive with only the pilot on board, an FAA spokesperson said. The crash site is about 4 miles from Gillespie Field.
The plane was substantially damaged in the crash, which apparently did not impact any homes or vehicles. No one on the ground was reported injured.
The plane did knock down some power lines when it went down, causing a power outage that affected more than 1,000 customers in the area until repairs could be made, San Diego Gas & Electric reported Sunday evening.
The NTSB in its preliminary report said the crash came after the aircraft “experienced engine issues.” No other details were immediately released.
“During the on-scene phase of the investigative process, the NTSB does not determine or speculate about the cause of the accident,” a spokesperson said via email. She said the wrecked aircraft will be “recovered to an offsite facility” for further examination.
FAA records show the registered owner of the plane is a man who lives in a Santee mobile home park on Mission Gorge Road. It is not known if the owner was flying the plane at the time of the crash.
Heartland Fire & Rescue paramedics transported the pilot to a hospital for treatment. The extent of his injuries were not known, but the man was awake and talking while he was transported and “didn’t seem to have serious wounds,” Heartland spokesperson Andy McKellar said.
