RELATED: Pilot injured in plane crash near Buchannan Field Airport
The plane had mechanical problems after taking off from Buchannan Field Airport.
"There was a lot of fuel on the ground," said witness Mike Davy, who was buying a car at a nearby dealership when the crash occurred.
Davey was there with his wife Kim. "The pilot was down on the ground," he said. "Laying down. I talked to a motorcycle officer and he said the pilot was going to be okay."
The small plane had just taken off from the airport when the pilot reported a rough-running engine.
He turned around to return but lost altitude. The plane flew over Highway 4 clipped a fence then skidded across four lanes on Marsh Drive before hitting a light pole.
Hazmat crews cleaned up spilled fuel and wreckage was scattered across the intersection.
"A piece of the airplane did hit a car sitting over there," Davey told ABC7 News. "It smashed out a window."
The pilot was taken to a nearby hospital, then emergency officials spent several hours de-fueling the plane.
"The pilot did a great job. He had engine problems, he looked for a place to put it down," said airport official Keith Freitas. "He did a great job, nobody on the ground was injured and he was able to walk away from the accident."
Crews towed the smashed up single-engine Galstar, now FAA and NTSB investigators will examine it to figure out what caused the crash.