FALLBROOK, Calif. (KGTV) — A small plane crashed in the Fallbrook area Tuesday afternoon, prompting multiple law enforcement agencies and firefighters to respond to the scene near South Mission Road and South Stagecoach Lane.
The only occupant on the plane, the 72-year-old pilot, wasn't taken to the hospital, and walked away with just "minor injuries," according to the North County Fire Protection District.
"It was a lucky crash to walk away from," said Richard Berry, a Captain/Public Information Officer for the district.
"It was quite a shock, just, kind of, seeing that," said Matthew Stewart. "I’ve been flying for, like, about 15 years in total. I’ve never actually seen a crash.”
That all changed for Stewart on Tuesday, in a moment he kept using three words to describe.
“It was crazy," he said.
Stewart is a Certified Flight Instructor and was in the middle of a flight review with a former student, about to land at the Fallbrook Airpark just after 2:00 p.m., when he said a fellow pilot reached out to him on the air-to-air frequency.
“First I heard from him is that he was established on final (approach) below me, and let me know about that," Stewart said. "So, I was like, ‘Okay, yeah. We got you. We’ll follow you in.’ He looked great, everything was normal, all the way up until the very last, you know, few seconds before the landing.”
Stewart, looking out the window of his plane, said he watched a Cessna 182, about 100 feet from the runway, start to lose control and make an emergency landing on South Mission Road below.
ABC 10News crews on the scene said they were told, off camera, the plane landed in the southbound lanes, the left wing clipped a tree planted on the center divider, causing the plane to jump the divider, travel across the northbound lanes before crashing upside down in the Los Jilgueros Preserve beside the road.
“Looked like he was going to be okay, just kind of landing on the road itself because it’s a relatively straight road for a little bit," Stewart said. "It was kind of hard to see with all the trees around, but then, all of a sudden, I saw a big fire ball erupt.”
“I thought for sure he died because it was a big burst of flame," Stewart continued. "My heart sank.”
According to Captain John Choi, the pilot was not trapped in the plane following the crash, and he only suffered minor injuries. The pilot was not taken to the hospital, and Choi said he likely missed his landing.
The pilot had some visible cuts and scrapes on his forehead and neck area. He declined to comment on camera, but when ABC 10News asked how he was feeling on the scene, he responded with a simple 'thumbs-up' gesture before saying, "there was only one pilot and the pilot is still as annoying as ever."
He might've lost his plane but clearly hasn't lost his sense of humor.
The North County Fire Protection District said the plane crash did spark a small vegetation fire, but crews managed to "immediately extinguish" the flames.
Tragedy avoided.
— Max Goldwasser ABC 10 (@MaxGoldwasser) September 23, 2025
A small plane appears to have crashed into a tree and caught fire half a mile from the Fallbrook Airpark.
Fire is contained. Lone occupant (pilot) survived with minor injuries.
Road closures still in place. I’m heading to the scene now for @10News. https://t.co/7DkDp5Y7qi
Traffic on S. Mission Road was diverted to Rocky Crest as S Mission Road was blocked between S. Stagecoach Lane to Mission Oaks Road for several hours, as CHP wrote on the social media platform. All roads reopened by about 6:00 p.m.
Captain Berry said no cars on the road were hit. Fortunately, he added, Fallbrook High School, located about half-a-mile away, hadn't been let out yet for the day, so there were no students in an area that would've seen plenty of foot traffic if the crash happened a bit later in the afternoon.
"It was a great time frame for this to happen," Berry said. "There was minor traffic and we got the road shut down immediately and diverted all the school traffic, so, there was no traffic to the school.”
Berry also said, per protocol, the County HAZMAT team showed up on scene to evaluate if any fuel might've leaked from the plane.
“As of this time, we don’t see any leaks or any danger to the surrounding area," he said. "We are keeping one unit here in case, while they move the plane, or any incidents that could respark or reignite the fire, we would have an apparatus here to handle it.”
Berry commented on the outcome of the scary situation that could've ended much differently.
“Obviously, when we respond, a plane crash is a big deal," he said. "We’re preparing for the worst and hoping for the best, and that’s exactly what came out in this scenario.”
An anonymous source ABC 10News spoke with on the scene said the pilot flew in from French Valley Airport in Murrieta, about 22 miles away from the Fallbrook Airpark, and mentioned the pilot told them he had no idea what happened.
Stewart thinks the plane might've stalled, preventing it from gaining altitude, or there could've been engine issues, but we won't know until the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board complete their investigations.
In the meantime, Stewart said one thing is for sure.
“I guess God was saying, ’Nope, you got a few more years on that earth dude,'" he said.
The FAA said the aircraft was a Cessna 182, and it crashed while landing at the Fallbrook Community Airpark around 2:05 p.m. The Cessna's tail number was N766EE.
Below you'll find an approximate location of the crash:
