https://keyt.com/news/santa-barbara-s-county/2025/01/29/small-aircraft-crashed-off-highway-101-near-storke-road-offramp-northwest-of-santa-barbara-airport/(whatever happened, it was quick, never got off any kind of mayday/pan. seemed to be coming in normally to Santa Barb when radar contact went dark)
GOLETA, Calif. – A small private aircraft crashed in an open field just north of the Storke Road offramp on Highway 101 Wednesday afternoon, leaving two professional pilots with major injuries
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the crash occurred around 2:16 p.m. near Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. The aircraft has been identified as a Cirrus SR22 with the tail number N124LZ, registered to LIMA ZULU AIRCRAFT CORP. CNN has confirmed that filmmaker Robert Zemeckis is affiliated with the company. His publicist, Michelle Bega, released a statement saying, "Two professional pilots whom Mr. Zemeckis routinely employs were flying the aircraft. There were no passengers on board."
Witnesses on Highway 101 reported seeing the plane deploying a parachute before it came nose-down into an open field between Los Carneros Road and Storke Road, on the mountainside of the freeway. Video taken by a passing motorist, Steve Epstein, shows the aircraft already on the ground and burning while bystanders and a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer rushed over a fence to assist the pilots.
Santa Barbara County Fire Captain Scott Safechuck confirmed that the plane caught fire upon impact, igniting nearby vegetation. Firefighters attacked the flames using hoses from both the freeway and the backside of the hill, extinguishing the fire before it could spread further. Emergency crews used foam and water to suppress the fire while attempting to preserve what little remained of the aircraft for investigators.
Authorities are investigating whether the fire started before or after the crash. A photo obtained by investigators shows the plane intact on the ground before flames engulfed it.
Two occupants, a 29-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, had exited the plane before first responders arrived. They were found just outside the burn area with major injuries and were transported to Cottage Hospital by ground ambulance, with fire personnel on board. Their identities have not yet been released. It remains unclear whether the pilots extricated themselves or were assisted by bystanders.
Flight data shows the Cirrus SR22 departed Santa Barbara Airport at 1:51 p.m., flying along the coastline before turning back toward land and appearing to prepare for a landing when it crashed near the freeway.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into the crash.
