Small Plane Crashes Upside Down in Camarillo Neighborhood, Two Critically Injured

A small single engine aircraft crashed into a drainage ditch in a residential area of Camarillo on Feb. 15, leaving two people critically injured.

The crash was reported around 6 p.m. near Carmen Drive and Lucero Street, a few blocks from Monte Vista Middle School and roughly three miles by road from Camarillo Airport. Multiple callers alerted authorities to a downed aircraft, which responders later found overturned in a drainage canal alongside the roadway.

Difficult Rescue Across a Drainage Ditch

According to the Ventura County Fire Department, firefighters had to extricate both occupants from the wreckage before transporting them to a local hospital. Both were reported to be in critical condition with severe injuries. No information about their ages or genders has been released.

The rescue was complicated by the aircraft’s position. Emergency vehicles staged on the roadway while crews worked across the drainage ditch to reach the inverted fuselage. Video from the scene showed significant front end damage, with the engine and propeller dislodged and the forward roof section crushed from impact.

Aircraft Based at Oxnard

Officials described the airplane as a small aircraft similar to a Cessna. A spokesperson for Ventura County Airports confirmed the plane is based at Oxnard Airport.

Authorities confirmed the aircraft did not strike any homes or other structures before coming to rest in the canal.