A day on the green for one Merced native turned into a moment he’ll never forget.

By Merced Focus Staff

And it was all captured on video.

Justin Owens was golfing at the Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento on Sunday, Aug. 4 when he was nearly struck by a small single-engine airplane that crashed.

Owens, 41, told The Merced FOCUS he was warming up around 1:10 p.m. on the chipping green when the incident happened.

“I look over my left shoulder and I see the nose of the plane coming at me, at probably about 100 yards away or so,” Owens said.

Owens said he saw the plane bank to its left, and he did his best to get out of the way, taking “a few hops” in the other direction.

A video camera set up at the golf course shows the plane crashing and Owens fleeing the scene.

“It was all over in the time that it takes basically to look over your left shoulder, and then look back over to your right shoulder,” Owens said. “It was all over within like three seconds, the actual crash.”

Plane Crash Misses Golfer by 5 to 10 Yards

When the plane hit the ground, Owens said it came within five to 10 yards of him, before skidding across the ground and coming to a stop.

Owens wasn’t hurt in the crash, although he did experience some anxiety afterward because it was such a close call. The pilot was also unhurt.

Capt. Justin Sylvia, public information officer with Sacramento Fire Department, told television station KCRA the pilot’s engine shut down at about 400 feet altitude.

The pilot looked for a safe place to land and brought the aircraft down with a belly landing on the golf course. The aircraft skidded and came to rest against the building.

Owens said he has no second thoughts about playing golf, despite the incident. In fact, once it seemed like everything was under control after the crash, he went back and played his golf round.

“Golfing is my main hobby. A little near-death experience is not enough to deter me,” he said.