The actions of police officers with the Los Angeles Police Department have been lauded after a video of them saving the life of a pilot who was forced to make an emergency landing on railroad tracks went viral on social media.
Just after about 2 pm on Sunday, Jan. 9,a Cessna 172, made an emergency landing or lost control while landing and ended upon railroad tracks between Osborne Street and San Fernando Road next to the Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, California.
LAPD officers immediately rushed to the scene and pulled the injured pilot from the plane seconds before a Metrolink train plowed through the aircraft, shattering it and sending pieces of it flying.
The department posted the chilling bodycam footage of the rescue, which came in just the nick of time, along with the caption,"Foothill Division Officers displayed heroism and quick action by saving the life of a pilot who made an emergency landing on the railroad tracks at San Fernando Rd. and Osborne St., just before an oncoming train collided with the aircraft." Watch the video below:
Video footage recorded by an eyewitness from another angle shows just how close the police and the pilot were when the train rammed into the aircraft.
The pilot was rushed to the hospital and it is not clear at this time what condition they are in, but the fact that he made it out alive is something of a miracle in itself.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are now investigating the crash. The FAA confirmed that the pilot was the only person on board the aircraft.
The video has now gone viral on Twitter with close to 600,000 views and hundreds of comments lauding the officers' heroism for saving the man's life.
"These officers are absolute heroes. They saved his life," political commentator Ian Miles Cheong tweeted. "The pilot would be dead if not for their bravery."
"HEROES. Thank you for your courage and bravery," commented another.
