Small planes go down near Highway 101 in Goleta, two seriously injured

Goleta, California – a small private aircraft crashed into an open field just north of Stork Road Offramp on Highway 101 on Wednesday afternoon, leaving two professional pilots with major injuries.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the crash found around 1 p.m. 14.16 near Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. The aircraft has been identified as a Cirrus SR22 with tail number N124LZ, registered for Lima Zulu Aircraft Corp. CNN has confirmed that filmmaker Robert Zemeckis is affiliated with the company. His publicist, Michelle Bega, released a statement saying, “Two professional pilots, such as Mr. Zemecki’s routinely employed, flew the plane. There were no passengers on board.”

Witnesses on Highway 101 reported that he saw the plane inserting a parachute before it came nose into an open field between Los Carneros Road and Stork Road, on the mountain road on the highway. Video taken by a passing motorist, Steve Epstein, shows the plane already on the ground and was burning, while spectators and a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer rushed over a fence to help the pilots.

Santa Barbara County Fire Captain Scott Safechuck confirmed that the plane fired up by influence and ignited vegetation nearby. Firefighters attacked the flames using hoses from both the highway and the back of the hill and extinguished the fire before it could spread further. Emergency staff used foam and water to suppress the fire while trying to preserve what was left only by the plane to investigators.

Authorities are investigating whether the fire started before or after the crash. A photo obtained by investigators shows the aircraft intact on the ground before flames enveloped it.

Two residents, a 29-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, had left the plane before the first respondents arrived. They were found just outside the combustion area with major damage and were transported to Cottage Hospital with Jord Ambulance with fire staff on board. Their identities have not yet been released. It remains unclear whether the pilots were expressed themselves or helped by spectators.

Flyvedata shows Cirrus SR22 left Santa Barbara Airport at. 13:51 and flies along the coastline before returning to shore and seems to be preparing for a landing as it crashed near the highway.

FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched a study of the crash.

The accident caused significant traffic delays on Northbound Highway 101, where Storke Road Offramp was temporarily closed when emergency staff worked the stage. From late Wednesday afternoon, Offramp was reopened, although overloading was on the ground.

This is an evolving story. Updates will be delivered as more information becomes available.

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