Authorities Release Dramatic Cockpit Video of Moment Plane Crashes into Desert in Emergency Landing

Ashley Boucher
Plane Crash Cockpit Video Before Emergency Landing in Desert: Watch

Dramatic footage of an emergency plane landing in the Mojave Desert from over the weekend was released on Monday — and thankfully, both the pilot and passenger survived uninjured.

The pilot and passenger, who remain unnamed, were flying from Needles, California to Chino, California in a Beechcraft Sundowner on Sunday, June 30. Just before noon, the plane’s engine lost oil and stalled, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

The pilot then made an emergency landing in the Mojave National Preserve north of the I-40 near Ludlow, California, as there were not airfields near the remote area, in the eastern part of Southern California about 145 miles from Las Vegas.

The video released by the SBFD on Monday shows what was sure to be a tense and frightening moment for both the pilot and the passenger, who remain pretty quiet throughout the process — until the dramatic moment when the plane touches ground.

With radio chatter in the background, viewers can see the plane’s propellor unmoving as the ground becomes closer and closer.

As the plane lands, viewers can hear the passenger yell and loud crashing noises as the plane’s alarm sounds.

“Oh my god,” the passenger says just before the video ends.

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The fire department also shared a few photos of the aftermath, revealing the plane’s tire fallen off and the right side wing in wreckage.

The pilot and passenger were uninjured after the emergency landing, “but faced a four to five mile hike to the closest road OR a very long wait for ground resources to reach them,” according to the fire department’s account of the incident. Heat was in the triple digits in that area on Sunday, the department said.

A medical helicopter was sent to the scene, and the pilot and passenger were taken to the Barstow-Daggett airport to get ground transportation home and out of the elements as soon as possible.