Family of man involved in emergency landing of Oceanside plane surprised – NBC 7 San Diego

It sounds like a scene from a movie. An emergency landing on a highway in Oceanside ends with the arrest of two men suspected of drug smuggling.

People in Oceanside said they had never seen anything like it before.

It all happened in the middle of the night. According to investigators, a small plane left Oceanside on Wednesday afternoon and landed in the Phoenix area. It then flew back to Oceanside on Wednesday evening, but the pilot had to make an emergency landing on State Route 76 on Thursday morning.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing, NBC 7's Shelby Bremer reports

The grandfather of 21-year-old Gabriel Breit, one of the two men aboard the Piper Cherokee Pathfinder, told NBC 7 he was very surprised to learn that Breit had been arrested in connection with the incident.

“It doesn’t make sense that he would get in trouble,” Victor Keisman said.

According to Oceanside police, officers arrested Breit and 36-year-old Troy Smith, both Oceanside residents, after finding drugs inside.

Keisman heard the news about the plane but never imagined his grandson could be involved.

“He was working on his hours because the FAA requires at least 1,500 hours to become a commercial jet pilot, and he said he would get there by the end of this year,” Keisman said.

Police said they saw one of the two men throw a backpack containing a kilo of suspected cocaine into a nearby bush. Both were arrested for drug transportation.

According to police, Breit is a flight instructor and Smith is a student pilot. The two flew to Arizona on Wednesday afternoon and were returning to Oceanside when they encountered engine problems, OPD said.

“When I saw the plane I was just surprised. I thought, 'Wow, you know, like in Oceanside, there's a plane full of drugs in the middle of the street,'” one witness said.

“My first thought was, 'Are they OK?' “For example, why is there a plane in the middle of the street?” said another.

NBC 7's cameras were rolling as Oceanside police officers searched Smith's home Thursday afternoon.

Ring video shared with NBC 7 shows the moment the family was escorted from the home.

The Drug Enforcement Administration said it was working with Oceanside police and confirmed it served a search warrant Thursday morning.

Keisman said he is still trying to process what happened.

“He is a very friendly person, very conscious of what he is doing. I flew with him several times. He is very professional, so this doesn't fit his character. I have no idea what happened. “I have no idea,” Keisman said.

The plane's owner told NBC 7 by phone that he rents it through Plus One Flyers, a private flying club in San Diego.

NBC 7 was unable to determine either man had a criminal record in San Diego County prior to this incident.

Breit and Smith were released on bail around 5:30 p.m. Thursday.