This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A pilot escaped injury after his vintage single-engine plane crashed and burst into flames on a southern California freeway on Tuesday, authorities said.

The North American AT-6 was painted with second-world-war-era German air force markings, said Chris Rushing, president of Condor Squadron. The plane belonged to the group, which performs mock dogfights for air shows and flies in formation over parades, memorial services and events commemorating veterans, Rushing said.

The plane struck the center divider of US 101 and the pilot, the only occupant, was safely removed before flames consumed much of the aircraft, the Los Angeles county fire department said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The pilot escaped uninjured and no one on the ground was hurt. Photograph: AP/KABC-TV

No vehicles on the ground were involved in the afternoon crash that snarled traffic about 30 miles west of downtown Los Angeles.

The pilot, whose name was not immediately released and flies professionally for Alaska Airlines, was out on a training exercise, Rushing said. He didn’t know what caused the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, said FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer.

The AT-6 was developed in the 1930s and used as a training aircraft by US pilots during the second world war.

