Plane crashes into high-speed rail property in Madera County. How the pilot stayed alive
A plane crashed on the dirt of a high-speed rail property in Madera County — and yet the pilot managed not only live but escaped with minor injuries.
The incident happened around 3 p.m. Thursday when a Coaresgold man in his 40s took off in his Sonex single-engine plane from Sierra Sky Park in northwest Fresno.
California Highway Patrol spokesman Javier Ruvalcaba was headed to the Madera airport when about 10 minutes into his flight, his cockpit canopy came open that caused his plane to lose altitude.
The pilot maneuvered the plane for an emergency landing.
Ruvalcaba said the aircraft was landed onto an embankment, which caused the plane to flip tail overhead and on its roof.
The pilot exited the plane on his own, while the plane remained turned upside down near Avenue 13 and Road 30 1/2.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and will investigate the crash.
