Bodycam: CHP Officer Jumps Fence to Save Pilot in Plane Crash

Feb. 5, 2025

When a California Highway Patrol officer saw a small airplane go down while conducting a traffic stop in Goleta, he quickly raced to the wreckage and pulled the pilot to safety.

Source Officer.com News

Joe Vince

A California Highway Patrol officer pulled a pilot from the wreckage of a small airplane that crashed in a field in Goleta on Jan. 29.

A California Highway Patrol officer jumped a fence and braved flames to pull a pilot out of a crashed small airplane last month.

According to the agency, Officer Ayala was handling a traffic stop in Goleta shortly after 2 p.m. Jan. 29 when the aircraft went down in a nearby field. Ayala immediately cleared a chain-link fence and sprinted to the burning wreckage.

When the officer saw the injured pilot trying to crawl from the crash, Ayala pulled him to safety. A passenger in the plane also was able to escape the crash.

The pilot and the passenger were rushed to the hospital. Ayala's body camera captured footage from the scene.

"Thanks to Officer Ayala’s bravery and quick action, lives were saved that day," CHP stated in a social media post. "Great job, Officer Ayala! Your courage exemplifies what it means to protect and serve your community."

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.