Plane Crash Takes Down Trolley Line In Southern California: An Amazing Tale of Survival

In a truly amazing series of events, a plane clips nearby trolley cables, flips over, and crashes into the street below. In most stories, the amazing part of the tale is when it is revealed that neither the pilot nor any surrounding motorists were severely hurt in the crash, and that part is amazing. But what is truly amazing is that the pilot in question is 79 years old.

The pilot in question, Dr. Oas, a very well respected trauma therapist and community activist, has been flying for 35 years. Dr. Oas was doing his best to react to a faulty canopy on his rental plane. A canopy that flew off as Dr. Oas was attempting to return to Gillespie field, his point of take off on his way to Ramona. The doctor reported the canopy-less plane created an air drag, adversely affecting both the plane's elevators and rudder. The plane's landing gear, deployed in descent while preparing to land, caught on the trolley power lines, flipping the plane.

Another truly miraculous turn of events was that no trolley was approaching. Being that the crash occurred on a busy street containing a trolley stop, the opinion of a Southern California Car Accident Attorney is that a major catastrophe was narrowly avoided. While the occurrence of plane crashes onto crowded streets is rare, these incidents do account for a number of fatalities worldwide each year. The timing of the crash, about 10:40 am on a Wednesday, is what probably saved a lot of lives.

The high rate of speed that airplanes travel, even single engine Sport Cruiser as in this crash, exacerbates the severity of injuries commonly found in car accident victims. While there is not significant data on plane crashes involving cars, a California Brain Injury Attorney concludes that the risk oftrauma is significantly higher.

Everyone can thank the quick thinking of Dr. Oas for the fact that no persons were seriously injured in this bizarre accident. Sometimes the fate of lives comes down to split second decisions of one man.