Aircraft Emergency At Southwest Riverside County Airfield: Plane Lands On Its Side

AGUANGA, CA — A female pilot flying a small aircraft landed awkwardly in Aguanga, Thursday morning, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department shared. No injuries were immediately reported in the landing that ended with the aircraft on its side, with a broken wing.

The Federal Aviation Administration spoke with Patch about the incident.

"While landing, the pilot of a Piper PA-28 lost control and the aircraft's propeller struck the runway at Lake Riverside Estates Airport in Aguanga, around 9 a.m. local time," a spokesperson for the administration said.

The aircraft emergency was reported shortly after 8:45 a.m. at the 49000 block of Sky Harbor Way, according to the department, near a private airfield.

The unidentified woman was the sole person inside the small two-seater aircraft when, for reasons as yet unknown, she lost control on the landing, damaging the wing. The plane ended up "on its side," according to Fire Department spokesperson Karina Espinoza.

"The aircraft was removed from the runway and no injuries were reported," Espinoza said.

The crash occurred near the Lake Riverside Estates Airport, within a gated community in Aguanga. Here, residents have access to the airport and can "live with their planes, with homes directly on the runway," according to the estate website.

"Lake Riverside Estates Airport is an FAA-restricted private-use airport, preserved for the use of property owners and guests of Lake Riverside Estates. Information regarding this airport is voluntarily supplied by the LRE Pilots’ Association. Strict adherence to all regulations promulgated by the FAA and the California Department of Aviation, as well as compliance with the LRE Airport Conditional Use Permit, is required."

According to the FAA's initial report, "the fixed-wing, single-engine plane was built in 1971 and is registered to a Texas address.

"The FAA was investigating what led to the incident," they said.

Environmental Health was requested for cleanup at the scene, and the Federal Aviation Administration was notified about the incident.