News

Plane crashes near Livermore Airport on Christmas Eve

Pilot transported to hospital; feds investigating

A single-engine airplane crashed into a storage business building east of the Livermore Municipal Airport on Christmas Eve. (Photo courtesy LPFD)

An airplane crashed into property just east of the Livermore Municipal Airport, injuring the solo pilot late on Christmas Eve afternoon, according to authorities.

The incident occurred at about 4:55 p.m. Saturday, according to Jim Artman, a battalion chief with the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.

LPFD and Alameda County Fire Department crews were dispatched to a report first describing an aircraft down at the airport in west-central Livermore, according to Artman. The information was soon clarified that the small airplane went down and came to rest at a commercial storage facility property on Rutan Drive just east of the airport.

Michael Musca, interim airport manager, said a local pilot had just taken off from the Livermore Airport when their airplane lost power suddenly. The airplane "landed abruptly" in the clear zone property owned by the airport on the other side of Highway 84 before coming to rest against a commercial building.

The first arriving fire crews confirmed that a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza 35 airplane with only the pilot aboard crashed and made contact with the storage building, "resulting in severe damage to the aircraft (and) requiring an extended extrication of the pilot," according to Artman.

Help sustain the local news you depend on.

Your contribution matters. Become a member today.

Join

The pilot, who has not been identified publicly, was transported by Falck Ambulance to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, according to Artman. The pilot's injuries were considered to be non-life-threatening.

The building was not damaged, according to Artman. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Stay informed

Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox.

Stay informed

Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox.

Looking for more Livermore stories? The Livermore Vine will be your new source of vital news and information. Sign up to be among the first to get our daily local news headlines sent to your inbox for free.

Jeremy Walsh
 
Jeremy Walsh, a Benicia native and American University alum, joined Embarcadero Media in November 2013. After serving as associate editor for the Pleasanton Weekly and DanvilleSanRamon.com, he was promoted to editor of the East Bay Division in February 2017. Read more >>

Follow PleasantonWeekly.com and the Pleasanton Weekly on Twitter @pleasantonnews, Facebook and on Instagram @pleasantonweekly for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more.

Your support is vital to us continuing to bring you law enforcement news. Become a member today.

Plane crashes near Livermore Airport on Christmas Eve

Pilot transported to hospital; feds investigating

by / Pleasanton Weekly

Uploaded: Sat, Dec 24, 2022, 8:26 pm
Updated: Mon, Dec 26, 2022, 4:31 am

An airplane crashed into property just east of the Livermore Municipal Airport, injuring the solo pilot late on Christmas Eve afternoon, according to authorities.

The incident occurred at about 4:55 p.m. Saturday, according to Jim Artman, a battalion chief with the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.

LPFD and Alameda County Fire Department crews were dispatched to a report first describing an aircraft down at the airport in west-central Livermore, according to Artman. The information was soon clarified that the small airplane went down and came to rest at a commercial storage facility property on Rutan Drive just east of the airport.

Michael Musca, interim airport manager, said a local pilot had just taken off from the Livermore Airport when their airplane lost power suddenly. The airplane "landed abruptly" in the clear zone property owned by the airport on the other side of Highway 84 before coming to rest against a commercial building.

The first arriving fire crews confirmed that a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza 35 airplane with only the pilot aboard crashed and made contact with the storage building, "resulting in severe damage to the aircraft (and) requiring an extended extrication of the pilot," according to Artman.

The pilot, who has not been identified publicly, was transported by Falck Ambulance to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, according to Artman. The pilot's injuries were considered to be non-life-threatening.

The building was not damaged, according to Artman. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Comments

There are no comments yet. Please share yours below.

Don't miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.

Post a comment

In order to encourage respectful and thoughtful discussion, commenting on stories is available to those who are registered users. If you are already a registered user and the commenting form is not below, you need to log in. If you are not registered, you can do so here.

Please make sure your comments are truthful, on-topic and do not disrespect another poster. Don't be snarky or belittling. All postings are subject to our TERMS OF USE, and may be deleted if deemed inappropriate by our staff.

See our announcement about requiring registration for commenting.