On Friday, May 2, a Cessna 172 pulled off an incredible emergency landing on a golf course near Santa Monica. The pilot, facing total engine failure, displayed some seriously impressive airmanship—and the scene on the ground was bizarre.
In this post:
How this happened
The small plane carrying two people was initially aimed to land at nearby Santa Monica Airport. But when it became clear that wasn’t happening, the pilot scanned for any flat, open stretch to set her down. With the engine dead, the single-engined Cessna effectively became a glider. The Riviera Country Club just a few miles away turned out to be the best option.
The whole conversation between him and ATC has now been released, whhich is in the video. I applaud how shockingly mellow the pilot remains the whole time. He keeps his composure while he declares mayday, and tells them they won't make it to the airport.
You can listen to the audio here
A somewhat satirical reaction
The other footage of the event is where it gets kind of absurd, which is the reaction of the golfers that no one seems to be pointing out.
As the plane descends toward the course, clearly to land on the fairway of the hole they’re playing, one golfer says, “I’m not f****** moving.”
Another blurts out, “…are they okay?” - while also with some swear words added.
These are not criticisms, just funny observations. I mean, you’ve got a literal airplane heading straight for you, and your response is basically, “whatever.”
To be fair, it’s exactly the kind of vibe you’d expect from a couple of guys on a sunny Friday afternoon round. Still, it almost feels like a parody. Anywhere else, people would either sprint away from the scene or rush to help. But instead these golfers gave us some deadpan one-liners and a little polite curiosity. It was like a scene out of “Happy Gilmore”.
A Cessna 172 made an emergency landing on a golf course in SoCal. It seems the pilot is getting the recognition he deserves here, as the story ended well, just with a very unique reaction. I'm in no place to give golf etiquette, but I would recommend leaving some more space if a plane is coming at you for the safety of both parties. Thankfully, everyone’s okay.
One final fun fact: many golf courses are actually built on or near former airfields. Flat land, long stretches, few obstructions—it kind of makes sense why this ended the way it did.
This is the link to the video on X
