Small Plane Lands on Soccer Field in Long Beach, Hits Bystander

Around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, a small aircraft attempted an emergency landing and crash-landed onto a soccer field in Heartwell Park, located near Carson Street and Woodruff Avenue in Long Beach.

The plane ended up on its belly with broken landing gear, though the fuselage was reported intact.

At the time of the crash, people were in the park using adjacent soccer and softball fields. One woman in her 40s was struck by the plane as it crashed/landed.

The pilot — described as an “elderly male” — was also hospitalized. Both he and the pedestrian were treated for moderate injuries and listed in stable condition.

Flight-tracking data show that the plane had taken off earlier from French Valley Airport (Murrieta) around 3:40 p.m., and was en route toward the Long Beach Airport when the emergency landing occurred.

The aircraft is reported to be a home-built (or experimental) two-seat type, registered to a pilot in Rancho Palos Verdes, and described as a “Long-EZ” model (or similar) of 1986 origin.

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