The pilot of a Cessna 172 is lucky to be alive after crashing his plane onto a railroad track in California. Authorities said the plane lost power shortly after takeoff. The pilot, who was not identified, was forced to attempt an emergency landing on Metrolink tracks in Los Angeles.
The pilot, who was the sole occupant in the aircraft, was left dazed and bloodied from the crash and was trapped in the cockpit as a train was barreling down the tracks. Officers with the Foothill Division of the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the scene and managed to pull the pilot from the plane seconds before a train crashed into the single-engine plane, completely obliterating it.
The pilot was rushed to a local hospital in an unknown condition.
The LAPD shared the heartstopping body camera video from one of the officers that captured the heroic rescue.
Another video filmed by Luis Jimenez and posted on Twitter captured the moment the train slammed into the plane.
"The plane had a failed takeoff and landed on the train tracks at a popular intersection," Jimenez told Reuters. "Just seconds before impact, police officers saved the pilot, and a piece of debris almost hit me."