‘Real-Life Sully?' Pilot Pulls Off Emergency Landing On Los Angeles Golf Course
The tragic incident took place at around 1 pm after the pilot of the 1966 Cessna 172G Skyhawk couldn't make it to the nearby Santa Monica Airport.
A private plane made an emergency landing at Riviera Country Club golf course after the incident in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles on Friday, May 2. The tragic incident took place at around 1 pm after the pilot of the 1966 Cessna 172G Skyhawk couldn't make it to the nearby Santa Monica Airport.
Golf personality Roger Steele shared the video of the incident on the social media platform X with the caption, 'This happened at Riv today. I pray I'm never this late for a tee time, but I do pray for the means to pull up this way if I was."
In the video, the plane is losing control while flying. It touched the ground, bounced slightly and then made a crash landing near a sandtrap. Someone is heard yelling, 'Holy schnikes" as the plane heads towards them. A few seconds later, a cart driver says, 'I'm moving, I'm moving" as a plane makes a rough landing on the uneven golf course ground.
This happened at Riv today. I pray I'm never this late for a tee time, but I do pray for the means to pull up this way if I was 😂 pic.twitter.com/00RzIdMrb8 — Roger Steele (@RogerSteeleJr) May 2, 2025
As soon as the video went viral, social media users began flooding the comment section.
Dude's gotta be a golfer or professional. He could have landed on the fairway but it seems he purposely avoided and changed course to the rough between sand traps! That's courageous respect of the famed course!— Neal Atkinson (@NealAtkinson9) May 2, 2025
Another wrote, 'Any landing you can walk away from was a great landing."
After the incident, the Los Angeles Fire Department released a statement, saying 'LAFD and Santa Monica Fire Department resources responded to a plane (unknown size) that landed safely at Riviera Country Club." It further mentioned that the plane was redirected from Santa Monica Airport, but the reason for that is still unknown.
All three occupants, including the pilot, were unharmed in the incident.
On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing in the Hudson River after both engines failed due to a bird strike. The Airbus A320, piloted by Captain Chesley 'Sully" Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, had taken off from New York's LaGuardia Airport when it struck a flock of geese. With no engine power and no safe runway in reach, Captain Sully made the quick decision to ditch the aircraft in the river. All 155 people on board survived. The event, known as the 'Miracle on the Hudson," highlighted Sully's calm leadership and exceptional piloting skills.
First Published:
May 03, 2025, 14:43 IST
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