A small plane averted disaster by making an emergency landing on a major California freeway.

Pilot Izzy Slod told KTLA that his engine “quit” on him part way through a short flight and that he had to make a last-minute decision to aim for the road. Mr Slod attributed his ability to land without incident to his training, saying he acted instinctively.

“I went with my gut on the freeway,” Mr Slod told CBSLA. “I didn't know it was a freeway here, I didn’t know if I would make it, but it paid off this time”.

He ultimately had to fly under an overpass to pull it off.

“I had to make a last-minute, last-second judgment on whether or not we could make it over, and we didn't have the airspeed to make it over, so I went under it,” Mr Slod said.

The Costa Mesa Fire Department confirmed that an “experienced” pilot had safely landed a small aircraft on State Route 55 late Sunday evening.

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Videos from the scene showed the small aircraft pulled over on the road’s shoulder, surrounded by light-flashing police vehicles.