Plane slides off runway in San Fernando Valley after landing gear fails, officials say

A small Cessna crashed at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, San Fernando Valley, after its landing gear failed just after 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The pilot and sole passenger managed to land on the runway, but the gear did not deploy, allowing the aircraft to roll beyond the runway and into a parking lot on airport property; five gallons of fuel leaked, but the spill was contained and there was no active fire. The pilot was injured and extricated for medical assessment, with no other injuries reported. The incident remained on airport grounds and posed no danger to nearby neighborhoods, according to the Whiteman Airport Coalition. Whiteman Airport has faced safety concerns and calls for closure, with past incidents including a April crash into a parking lot less than two miles from the departure point, a 2022 emergency landing on Metrolink tracks near San Fernando, and a 2020 crash near the runway that killed a Civil Air Patrol pilot. Los Angeles County officials have reviewed federal land-use obligations tied to funding as part of ongoing debates about the facility’s future.