No injuries were reported Tuesday when a small plane went out of control while landing at the Santa Barbara Airport, and crashed into a fence near the passenger terminal.
The incident occurred at about 11:15 a.m., according to Deanna Zachrisson, airport business development manager.
The pilot and sole occupant of the Cessna 172, whose name was not available, was not hurt, Zachrisson said.
She added that there was a small fire that was quickly doused by firefighters.
The aircraft was landing on one of the airport’s shorter runways — 15 Left — when it veered sharply to the left, Zachrisson said.
The plane ended up stuck nose first in the fencing near the rental car area at the south end of the terminal, Zachrisson said.
Gate 1, which is at the south end of the terminal, was taken out of service after that crash, although it was not damaged, Zachrisson said.
“We’re very fortunately that there wasn’t a plane there at the time,” she said.
The crashed aircraft is owned by a flight school in El Monte, according to FAA records.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
