A small plane slid across a putting green in Sacramento on Sunday, putting the pilot and one fortunate golfer in harm’s way.
The crash-landing narrowly missed the golfer, who had perhaps hoped for a less eventful Sunday round of golf.
Location
The incident occurred at a Sacramento golf course, the Haggin Oaks Golf complex.
The Haggin Oaks Golf complex boasts a putting green and a pro shop, both of which were damaged in the crash.
Time
The crash happened on a sunny, Sunday afternoon in Sacramento, likely a busy time for a local golf complex.
The Sacramento Fire Department, who were called out to deal with the situation, confirmed that the plane landed at 1:18PM local time.
Good Place to Crash
The spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department, Captain Justin Sylvia, praised the pilot’s quick thinking in choosing the crash location.
He told FOX40: “He picked a golf course, which is a pretty good location – nice and open.”
Engine Failure
The crash occurred due to a major issue with the light aircraft, which had just the one person on board at the time.
It had a mechanical failure that led to the complete loss of power, and forced the pilot to take emergency action.
Up in the Sky
The plane was flying relatively low, at 400 feet, so the pilot did not have a huge amount of time to take his decision.
On seeing the wide, open area of the golf course, the pilot decided to make for the fairway.
Plans Go Awry
However, the pilot did not manage a clean landing, nor did he end up comfortably on the fairway.
Instead, the landing was a little rockier as the plane slid across the road onto the putting green.
Lucky Escape
But the fast-moving plane did not only damage the course itself, it also narrowly missed a clearly shocked golfer.
The golfer, practicing his short game on the putting green, jumped back as the plane slid sideways across the green, violently cutting his practice short.
No Major Injuries
Thankfully, despite the dramatic nature of the crash, and the danger of crashing into a golf course on a sunny Sunday, no one was seriously injured.
The golfer received quite a shock, but was otherwise unharmed, while the pilot only received a minor scratch on their wrist.
Odd Bucket List
One of the present golfers, Tim Cowan, speaking to FOX40, described the deafening nature of the crash landing and his thoughts on the situation.
He said: “We heard a boom, but we didn’t know what it was. This is a first. I guess cross it off my bucket list.”
