Pilot suffers life-threatening injuries in plane crash in Ventura County

A man in his mid-20s flying a single-engine plane was flown to a trauma center with critical injuries after a fiery crash in Ventura County, authorities said.

According to the Ventura County Fire Department, the crash was reported east of Santa Paula Airport shortly before 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

There were no passengers on board the small plane when it crashed in an industrial area in the city of Santa Paula and sparked a fire, said Andy VanSciver, a firefighter and fire department spokesman.

There are several businesses in the area where the plane crashed, but the fire was contained to the plane and no other injuries were reported, VanSciver said.

A photo posted by the agency on X shows the plane's nose and propeller attached to a completely bare frame, obviously destroyed by the fire. A single wheel can be seen next to a pile of ash and rubble.

Santa Paula Police Chief Don Aguilar told the Times on Sunday that the plane crashed in an open yard, knocking over several stacks of pipes, and came to rest next to a large metal dumpster, which can be seen in the photo.

The firefighters who extinguished the fire and cared for the patient have left the scene, VanSciver said.

A video posted by the agency appears to show the pilot being carried on a stretcher to a waiting helicopter.

The pilot's identity and current information on the pilot's condition were not immediately available.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Santa Paula Police Department are currently conducting an investigation at the scene and the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified.

Another small plane made an emergency landing in Ventura County on Saturday, CBS News reported. No injuries were reported in the incident, in which the plane landed in a dry riverbed in Fillmore, the news agency said. That crash is also being investigated by the FAA.