A small plane with an instructor and student pilot made an emergency landing on an Irvine street Wednesday evening, authorities said.
The Piper Cherokee aircraft landed at 6:18 p.m. near John Wayne Airport at Red Hill and McGaw avenues during rush-hour traffic, coming to a stop at MacArthur Boulevard, Irvine Police spokeswoman Farrah Emami said.
The plane is based at the airport, but is owned by Orange Coast College, said airport spokeswoman Jenny Wedge
No injuries or damage to the plane was reported, and the Federal Aviation Administration will conduct an investigation, Wedge said.
Because the plane’s wings do not fold up, the plane will be parked outside the airport until Thursday morning, when it can be brought inside through a wider gate, Wedge said.
The cause for the emergency landing had not been determined Wednesday night.
Two southbound lanes on Red Hill Avenue were closed between Reynolds Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard until the plane was towed away.
On Sept. 8, 2014, a 1975 Beechcraft Bonanza A36 with engine trouble force the two people on board to land in the Olinda Landfill in Brea.
A Cessna made an emergency landing in the Great Park in November after experiencing engine trouble. More recently, a two-seat airplane landed in the Great Park in January after having the same problems.
No one was injured in all three incidents.
Contact the writer: 714-796-2478@lcasiano@ocregister.com
