July 1 (UPI) -- Two people were injured when a small, twin-engine plane crash-landed onto the 405 Freeway in Santa Ana, Calif., and burst into flames, police said.
The Cessna 310 took off from John Wayne Airport on Friday morning before the pilot called in a mayday alert, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. The pilot said he "lost" his right engine.
The plane erupted into flames after crashing into southbound 405 around 9:30 a.m. California Highway Patrol Commander Ryan Shackleford said the plane struck the center divider of the highway, then the wall of the southbound side. Three vehicles traveling southbound then struck the plane.
"The fire burned the airplane like a toy in less than five minutes," said Nga Dieu, who observed the crash, to the Los Angeles Times.
An off-duty firefighter pulled the pilot and his wife from the fiery wreckage, and they were transported to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana.
"Information that we have is that their injuries were not life threatening and they were transported to hospitals," said airport spokeswoman Deanne Thompson.
