Two injured in plane crash near La Mesa church parking lot

LA MESA, Calif. — A small airplane crashed into a La Mesa church parking lot Sunday afternoon, injuring two people who were onboard the aircraft, authorities said.

The plane had crashed around 3 p.m. in a canyon next to the evangelical Lake Murray Community Church on Lake Murray Boulevard, Heartland Fire-Rescue said.

An American Medical Response ambulance was passing by at the time of the crash, discovering the pilot and a passenger about 50 feet below the parking lot.

The pilot was able to walk out of the plane and help himself up the hill with assistance from first responders, according to Heartland Fire. The passenger, however, had to be rescued using a rope system and stretcher.

Both sustained mild to moderate injuries in the crash and were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Their injuries are not considered life-threatening at this time.

The two people in the aircraft were both described as adult men in their 50s. According to Heartland Fire Captain Sonny Saghera, it seemed both were fairly experienced pilots, given the location they chose to do an emergency landing in the area.

“It absolutely could have been a lot worse. It looks like the pilots have have been able to find this small area of space, which this is a big parking lot, and able to take it down into the canyon,” Saghera said. “Luckily, they missed houses and the church.”

Several power lines were also impacted in the crash, impacting about 300 to 400 San Diego Gas & Electric customers in the surrounding area. The utility company said power expected to be restored around 6 p.m.

The flight path of the aircraft and what caused it to go down remains under investigation by authorities.

FAA officials are on route to the scene.

FOX 5’s Zara Barker contributed to this story.