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Small Plane Makes Hard Landing On Residential Street Near Fullerton Airport

BUENA PARK (CBSLA) - A small plane carrying two people made a hard landing on a road near the Fullerton Municipal Airport Thursday evening.

Minutes after taking off, flight instructor Benjamin Denis said he knew he had to take control of the aircraft from his student and land on Commonwealth, a normally busy street.

"My life flashed before my eyes," Denis said of the moments before the plane came to a stop in the median of the road.

Denis told reporter Stacey Butler that he trained for years in case something like this happened and that he was ready.

He also said he was lucky.

"I'm happy to be alive," Denis said. "I was honestly thinking about dodging light poles."

The 1975 fixed-wing single-engine Cessna 172 lost engine power while a student pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings at the airport.

"We did it," Denis said. "It's something we're going to remember for the rest of our lives."

The plane suffered some damage to the landing gear and aircraft body. No injuries were reported following the emergency landing.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration continue to investigate.

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