Two people on a skydiving plane were injured when it crash-landed short of the runway at the Oceanside Municipal Airport early Thursday afternoon, an Oceanside police spokesperson said.
The hard landing happened in the area of SR-76 and Foussat Road just after 12:45 p.m., the police department tweeted.
Police spokesperson Jennifer Atenza said several people called 911 to report the small aircraft lost altitude and went down in a field near the runway.
Police and fire crews responded, and had to cut one of the victims out of the aircraft. Both men on board were taken to hospitals. One was in critical condition and transported via an air ambulance, the other was in moderate condition and taken by ground ambulance, Atenza said.
The crash happened in a field just short of the east end of the airport, Atenza said. The plane was approaching the airport from the east.
Atenza said no streets were shut down, but police are asking people to avoid the area, citing concerns of any potential fuel leaks.
The airport sits just north of state Route 76 and west of El Camino Real.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that two people were on the single-engine Cessna 208B when it went down.
The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct the investigation into the crash.
Updates:
3:10 p.m. Feb. 24, 2022: This story was updated with further information.
This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.
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