Skip to main content
Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

1 killed as small plane crashes on Los Angeles street

An unidentified Los Angeles police officer keeps a sheet covering the body of a pilot killed in small plane crash at a Los Angeles intersection just south of Van Nuys Airport, in Van Nuys, Calif, on Friday, Jan. 9, 2015.
An unidentified Los Angeles police officer keeps a sheet covering the body of a pilot killed in small plane crash at a Los Angeles intersection just south of Van Nuys Airport, in Van Nuys, Calif, on Friday, Jan. 9, 2015.

LOS ANGELES — A small plane crashed Friday in a Los Angeles intersection just south of Van Nuys Airport, killing the one person aboard, authorities said.

The aircraft did not hit any vehicles or structures and there was no fire, Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said. The victim died at the scene.

The plane was a single-engine Lancair and went down around 1:15 p.m. shortly after takeoff from Van Nuys, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

Sharon Mashal, 22, said she was getting lunch when she heard a big boom.

“It was really loud, I thought something exploded. I looked around the corner and I saw a plane on the ground,” she said.