Three people were hurt when a small airplane overran the runway at Catalina Airport Wednesday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The accident happened around 9:38 a.m., prompting the fire department to send in a rescue helicopter and boat, said Inspector Joey Marron, a spokesman for the agency.
.@AvalonLASD plane crash victims are ok. All three transported to mainland hospitals for treatment. pic.twitter.com/HQhVNvVHVg
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) July 25, 2018
All three people on the plane were flown to mainland hospitals to treat critical injuries, according to a tweet from the Fire Department.
“Luckily there’s no fire though,” Marron said.
MULTI-PATIENT MEDEVAC 7/25/18 COPT18 and COPT14 assisted @LACoFD @LACoLifeguards @AvalonLASD @CIConservancy by flying three trauma patients from Catalina Island to mainland specialty hospitals. https://t.co/cPwYrlBh9v
— LACoFireAirOps (@LACoFireAirOps) July 25, 2018
FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane was a single-engine Piper PA-32.
The island airport is notoriously tricky. The airport’s website says the runway where the crash happened begins at the edge of a 1,500-foot cliff, making it similar to landing on an aircraft carrier in the sky.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.