Small plane makes emergency landing on 805 Freeway in San Diego

SAN DIEGO (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - People in San Diego were shocked this weekend when a small plane had to make an emergency landing on the busy 805 Freeway.

According to an NBC affiliate in San Diego, it happened Saturday at around 5:45 p.m. Pacific.

"My husband was yelling, 'A plane..a plane,' and I was just like, 'Ahhh," said Amber Rivera, a witness.

Like a scene straight out of a movie, Rivera is still trying to process what she and her family witnessed as they drove northbound on the 805.

On the opposite side of the freeway, they saw a Piper Cherokee fixed wing single-engine aircraft making an emergency landing on the 805.

"I was watching and the pilot got out safely, people were stopping, people were getting out of their car and it looked like people were checking on him, but it looked like he was safe, but it was very surreal to see. You never see that," Rivera shared.

FlightAware tracked the planes flight path. It shows the Cherokee taking off from Montgomery Field and flying along the North Coast.

Then, it shows the aircraft making several loops before an emergency landing near the center divider of the 805 freeway in Sorento Valley.

"The biggest thing is that it was scary, but everyone was safe and that's what's most important," Rivera expressed.

A Sigalert was issued shortly after the emergency landing, on the 805 near Miramar Road and La Jolla Village Drive.

The southbound lanes of the 805 are partially opened after that small plane had an emergency landing near the center divider of the 805.

"My husband actually saw the pilot's face. He described it as very tense while he was landing and my husband watched him as he went down," Rivera spoke.

The California Highway Patrol says they are still investigating the cause of the incident.