LOS ANGELES, CA – A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer in Santa Barbara County pulled a pilot from the wreckage of a burning plane on Wednesday, moments before an explosion engulfed the aircraft in flames, authorities said.
The crash occurred at approximately 2:15 p.m. in Goleta, a city about nine miles west of Santa Barbara. CHP Officer Ayala was conducting a routine traffic stop near Highway 101 when he spotted a parachute deployed in a field between Los Carneros and Storke roads, according to a statement from the agency.
Ayala abandoned the traffic stop and ran toward the crash site, jumping a chain-link fence along the freeway before sprinting to the burning wreckage. He arrived to find the pilot, a 29-year-old man, severely injured and attempting to crawl away from the flames.
Ayala pulled the pilot from the wreckage, dragging him to safety just as an explosion erupted behind them, CHP officials said. The plane was soon fully engulfed, sparking a brush fire that burned roughly half an acre before being contained.
The aircraft’s passenger, a 33-year-old woman, had managed to exit the plane on her own before the fire intensified. Ayala directed bystanders to assist her while awaiting emergency responders. Both the pilot and passenger were taken to a local hospital with serious injuries, CHP said.
“Thanks to Officer Ayala’s quick thinking and bravery, a tragedy was averted,” the agency said in a statement, calling his actions a testament to his dedication to public safety.
The driver who had been stopped by Ayala before the crash was released with a warning, officials said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.
