Overview

• The single-engine Cessna T206 touched down around 4:45 p.m. Monday in the freeway’s center median near Balboa Avenue and Aero Drive, and no vehicles were struck.
• Radio logs captured the pilot issuing a mayday and reporting a lost engine moments before the landing, according to LiveATC recordings cited by local outlets.
• FlightAware data show the aircraft departed Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport at about 3:50 p.m., flew north along the coast, then returned toward the area before the landing.
• Two people were on board and were uninjured, and registry records link the tail number to Tellum Aviation Services, a regional rental operator.
• The FAA has opened an investigation, and officials note this incident follows other recent small-aircraft emergency landings on San Diego-area roads.