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Pilot dragged from crashed plane seconds before commuter train smashes into wreckage

Click to play video: 'Pilot rescued seconds before train slams into downed plane in California'
Pilot rescued seconds before train slams into downed plane in California
WARNING: Video contains graphic images not suitable for all viewers. Los Angeles police officers pulled a pilot from a plane that had crashed onto train tracks near Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, just moments before an oncoming train crashed into it on Jan. 9. In a tweet, police said the Foothill Division officers displayed “heroism and quick action” by saving the pilot’s life – Jan 10, 2022

Dramatic video shows the moment Los Angeles police officers pulled a pilot from a plane crash, seconds before a commuter train smashed into the downed aircraft Sunday afternoon.

The video, captured on a bodycam, shows officers working furiously to remove the bloodied pilot from the cockpit of the crumpled Cessna 172.

“Go, go go!” one of the officers shouts, as others drag the pilot from the wreckage.

A moment later, a double-decker Metrolink train smashes into the aircraft.

Screengrab / Los Angeles Police Department. Screengrab / Los Angeles Police Department

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane crashed shortly after taking off from the Whiteman Airport in the San Fernando Valley. It landed on the train-tracks at a railroad crossing.

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Luckily, there was a LAPD detachment just a block away.

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“Foothill Division Officers displayed heroism and quick action by saving the life of a pilot who made an emergency landing on the railroad tracks at San Fernando Rd. and Osborne St., just before an oncoming train collided with the aircraft,” the LAPD account tweeted.

https://twitter.com/LAPDHQ/status/1480363436311670784

The Associated Press reports that the pilot was the sole person on board the plane and was transported to hospital in unknown condition. No one else was hurt.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating what caused the plane to crash.

— With a file from the Associated Press

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