LA VERNE >> A pilot escaped serious injury after a small airplane crashed at Brackett Field Airport and burst into flames, officials said.
The crash took place at 1:44 p.m. as the pilot was attempting to land at the small airfield, 1615 McKinley Ave., La Verne Fire Department Administrative Clerk Lauren Burtz said.
The landing came short, officials said.
“The aircraft, type currently unknown, struck a perimeter fence upon landing,” Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.
Kenitzer later described the craft as a single-engine Cessna 210. But the identifying “tail number” was not available. Cessna 210 airplanes generally seat six.
Burtz said the airplane ended up upside-down on top of the flattened fence along Fairplex Drive and quickly became engulfed in flames.
But the pilot managed to escape the wreckage, and La Verne firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, officials said.
Kenitzer said initial reports indicated two people were on board, however, Burtz said firefighters treated only one patient, the pilot.
Officials took the pilot to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center by helicopter for treatment, Burtz said. An update on the pilot’s condition was not available.
Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

PHOTOS by Leo Jarzomb