Vintage plane’s fiery crash blocks Los Angeles freeway

This photo taken from video and provided by KTLA-TV shows a vintage North American AT-6 airplane that crashed on U.S. 101 in Agoura Hills, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. The pilot escaped uninjured and no one on the ground was hurt. The crash snarled traffic about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of downtown Los Angeles.

Commuters in Los Angeles had quite a surprise when a vintage plane crashed and caught fire on the 101 Freeway Tuesday afternoon.

The pilot had taken off from Van Nuys Airport but lost power around 1:45 p.m. local time, KTLA reported.

"He heard a couple of loud pops in the engine. He was able to control it and was trying to land on the 101 Freeway but there was a car in front of him. So as he landed, touched down, he had to jerk the wheel hard to the left to avoid the vehicle. That's when he crashed into the center divider," California Highway Patrol Capt. Johnny Starling told KTLA.

>> Read more trending news

The pilot, who has 30 years experience flying, was taken from the wreckage, KTLA reported. He only had singed hair from the fire and was otherwise unhurt.

"I picked a spot on the freeway, where I knew there was a big section of cars that weren't there, but the engine completely failed. Fortunately, I was able to not hurt anybody -- other than the airplane," pilot Robert Sandberg told KABC.

The plane was registered to Condor Squadron, a group that flies restored World War II-era planes. It was a T-6 Texan, a trainer plane, that had been painted in camouflage with black and white crosses on the wings that symbolized a World War II German fighter plane, KTLA reported.

The plane had to be cut into pieces and put on a trailer to remove it from the heavily traveled highway.

The crash is being investigated by the National Transportation safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, KABC reported.

This photo taken from video provided by KABC-TV shows a vintage North American AT-6 airplane that crashed on U.S. 101 in Agoura Hills, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. The pilot escaped uninjured and no one on the ground was hurt. The crash snarled traffic about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of downtown Los Angeles.

Credit: KABC-TV via AP

icon to expand image

Credit: KABC-TV via AP