Small Plane Emergency Landing Injures Pilot, Pedestrian Long Beach Park

A small plane made an emergency landing on a soccer field at Heartwell Park in Long Beach, California, around 4 p.m., striking a woman in her 40s who was present on the field. The elderly male pilot was rescued from the aircraft, which was found resting on its belly with broken landing gear but an intact fuselage. Both the pilot and the pedestrian sustained moderate injuries and were hospitalized in stable condition. The plane had been scheduled to land at Long Beach Airport nearby, and the cause of the emergency landing is under investigation. Officials, including Mayor Rex Richardson, noted that the incident could have been far worse given the circumstances, and soccer practice continued on the field after the crash. The FAA has not yet commented on the incident.