Pacoima, California Plane Crash: Small Aircraft Slams Into Parking Lot

Firefighters responded Monday to reports of a small plane down in a parking lot in the San Fernando Valley community of Pacoima, authorities said.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) told Newsweek the aircraft came down near Ralston Avenue and Van Nuys Boulevard in the parking lot of an O'Reilly Auto Parts store around 11:10 a.m. High‑voltage power lines were also reported damaged in the incident.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known. A fire department spokesperson told Newsweek that a male pilot had been taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries.

NBC Los Angeles posted an aerial photo with the plane shown upside down in the parking lot.

The crash occurred in an area surrounded by several airports that serve general aviation traffic in the San Fernando Valley.

The site in Pacoima is just north of Whiteman Airport, a small general‑aviation facility frequently used for flight training and private aircraft. Van Nuys Airport, one of the busiest general‑aviation airports in the country, is about 4 to 5 miles southwest, while Hollywood Burbank Airport, which handles commercial passenger flights, is about 5 to 8 miles to the south.

Authorities often note the proximity of these airports as part of early investigations while determining a flight's origin and intended destination.

This is a breaking news article. Updates to follow.

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 2:41 PM.