SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The National Transportation and Safety Board has released its preliminary report regarding a small plane's emergency landing on I-805's southbound lanes in the Sorrento Valley area on Aug. 16.
The emergency landing happened around 5:30 p.m. that Saturday as the Cessna landed sideways against the center divider wall near Carroll Canyon Road, per the California Highway Patrol. No injuries were reported, and everyone on the plane was accounted for.
WATCH: We spoke to a pilot with 40+ years of experience in the days after the crash for his perspective on what went wrong
NTSB's report says the pilot indicated he and a passenger planned a flight above the skies around the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, and they departed with full fuel, according to the pilot. The plane flew north along the coastline, and about 15 minutes into the flight, the pilot switched fuel tanks, the report states.
"[The pilot] did not recall whether he clearly felt the valve’s position detents when adjusting the fuel tank selector valve handle," NTSB's report says.
After the pilot switched fuel tanks, the engine started to sputter and lost partial power at an altitude of 1,700 feet mean sea level, the report says. This is when the pilot declared an emergency with the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control and started troubleshooting; he turned the fuel pump on, switched fuel tanks and checked the ignition. Despite this, the report says, the engine kept on sputtering.
NTSB says the pilot then started a forced landing onto the 805's southbound lanes.
"During the landing roll, the left wing struck a highway signpost and the airplane came to rest upright against the center highway divider," the report says.
Several parts of the plane, including the left wing, fuselage and horizontal stabilator were damaged significantly as a result of the emergency landing.
The wreckage was taken to a secure facility to be investigated further.
The plane was a PA-28-181 Piper.
Two days after the emergency landing, ABC 10News spoke to Robert Katz, a commercial pilot and flight instructor with 43 years of experience.
“Had there been fuel in that tank, number one, we would have seen a big puddle out here," Katz said. "And a fire, and it doesn't appear either... It suggests the possibility that this airplane ran out of fuel."
When asked if a lack of fuel would qualify as an "engine issue," as the FAA said was the culprit in its initial report, Katz said, "Yes, it would."
NTSB indicated in its report that it did not travel to the scene of the crash.
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