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Riviera Country Club, one of the world’s top golf courses and future host the 2028 Summer Olympics golf tournament, became an airport on Friday when a small propeller plane crash-landed in the middle of the course. A group of golfers who was playing the course at the time filmed the incident, leading to terrifying footage.
Thankfully, the plane’s pilot was able to make an impressive emergency landing and nobody was meaningfully harmed in the process. Per Golfweek, the plane was scheduled to land at Santa Monica Airport, a few miles southeast from Riviera. First responders from both the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Santa Monica Fire Department reportedly arrived on the scene soon after.
🚨🛬⛳️ #WATCH — A small plane (N3753L) crash landed at Riviera Country Club today 😲
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) May 2, 2025
Air-Traffic Control Audio From Riviera CC Plane Crash Tells A Terrifying Story
Incredible air-traffic control audio from the event reveals that the plane lost all engine power. While looking for a place to crash-land, the pilot acknowledged that they would not make it to a proper runway and instead sought a safe place to land the plane. While the landing was a bit bumpy, he can be heard telling the air-traffic control tower that all passengers on the plane were unharmed.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are now expected to investigate the accident, as is common practice. In addition to the 2028 Olympic Games, Riviera has hosted the U.S. Open in 1948 and two PGA Championships (1983 and 1995). It will host the U.S. Women’s Open in 2026 and is also the annual host of the Genesis Invitational, for which Tiger Woods plays the role of host.
However, this year’s Genesis Invitational was moved south to Torrey Pines in La Jolla due to the fallout from wildfires that wreaked havoc on California.