Elderly couple, child survive plane crash in San Jose

An elderly couple and a child walked away with their lives Saturday afternoon after the small plane carrying them nose-dived into a busy San Jose intersection, coming to rest upright on its propeller amid moving traffic and residential buildings. All three were injured and taken to hospital; none of the injuries were life-threatening, and no one on the ground was hurt.

The crash occurred shortly after 3:00 p.m. at the intersection of Capitol Expressway and Excalibur Drive. The aircraft had taken off from nearby Reid-Hillview Airport minutes earlier. Flight-tracking data released after the incident showed that only 95 seconds elapsed between takeoff and the end of the recorded flight path.

Elderly couple and child survive small plane crash into residential neighborhood (Photo: social media)

Photographs from the scene showed the plane resting on its nose, tail pointing skyward, the fuselage visibly damaged. Despite coming down in the middle of a congested roadway, the aircraft struck no other vehicles, and authorities reported no injuries among drivers or pedestrians in the area. Emergency crews also dealt with a minor fuel leak caused by the impact, which they were able to contain on-site.

The aircraft was identified as a Cessna 177A Cardinal, a single-engine light plane. It is registered to a nonprofit flying club affiliated with San Jose State University, which provides access to students, alumni and faculty.

The crash caused significant traffic disruption in the area. Removal of the wreckage from the intersection took approximately three hours, during which emergency personnel worked the scene.