Emergency landing at Heartwell Park field injures pilot and bystander

A small aircraft made an emergency landing on a soccer field at Heartwell Park in Long Beach on Tuesday afternoon, striking a pedestrian and injuring the pilot, officials said. The Long Beach Fire Department reported the incident occurred just after 4 p.m. on Oct. 21 near Woodruff Avenue and Carson Street, west of the 605 Freeway.

Firefighters who responded found the plane resting on its belly with broken landing gear and the fuselage largely intact, the department said. An elderly male pilot was removed from the aircraft by first responders and transported to a local hospital in moderate but stable condition. A woman in her 40s who was on the field at the time was also taken to the hospital with moderate, stable injuries after being struck during the landing, officials said.

Preliminary information provided by the fire department indicates the aircraft departed Compton earlier in the day, flew to French Valley, and then returned toward Compton when the emergency landing occurred. The plane had been scheduled to land at Long Beach Airport, located roughly 1.5 miles northeast of the park, according to the department. Officials described the aircraft as possibly a glider or an...