Airplane makes forced landing south of Lake Mathews, occupants uninjured

LAKE MATHEWS, Calif. (KESQ) - A single-engine Cessna went down today south of Lake Mathews in what appeared to be a forced landing by the pilot, who escaped injury, along with his passenger.

The controlled crash was reported shortly before noon Wednesday in the 15100 block of Lake Mathews Drive, near Gavilan Springs Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.  

"Our dispatch center received multiple reports of an aircraft down," Battalion Chief Josh Rivers said in an online post to the agency's social media page. "Our first arriving engines found the single-engine Cessna with two occupants (who) were both non-injury."  

There was no fire following the forced landing. Photographs and video from the scene showed that the high-wing configuration plane had nosed into the dirt. Otherwise, there didn't appear to be much damage.  

It was unclear whether the pilot, whose name was not released, experienced engine trouble or another emergency that prompted the off-airport landing.

Lake Mathews and the area immediately surrounding it is a designated practice area, where numerous fixed-wing and rotorcraft fly daily, coming from Riverside Municipal Airport, Chino Municipal Airport and neighboring locations.   

There was no immediate word on where the Cessna was headed, or where the plane had departed.

Rivers said the FAA had been notified about the incident.  

Emails seeking comment from the agency were not immediately answered.