Aircraft Forced to Land in California’s Riviera Country Club

The Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, which also happens to be a host for the 2028 Summer Olympics, turned into an emergency landing site for a Cessna 172 on May 2. The pilot was apparently experiencing engine issues and was unable to make it to Santa Monica as planned.

The aircraft, a 1965 Cessna 172G registered as N3753L, had departed from Turlock Municipal Airport (O15) at around 10:30 am. It turned southeast and flew for around 250 miles towards its planned destination of Santa Monica Airport (SMO).

At approximately 12:55 pm, just a few miles out from its destination, the aircraft was forced to execute emergency procedures due to engine issues. Realizing the plane could not glide all the way to Santa Monica, the pilot changed course and landed deadstick among a herd of golfers at the Riviera Country Club.

Luckily, the three in the plane and those on the ground were not injured. The plane itself also seemed relatively unharmed despite the unusual obstacles and bumpy terrain. First responders from the Los Angeles and Santa Monica Fire Departments quickly made their way onto the scene to assist.

Several golfers and bystanders managed to catch the incident on camera. Footage shows the plane turning around a tree and making soft contact with the grass several times before finally getting the wheels down near a sandtrap.

One uploaded a video of the Cessna’s landing to social media, accompanied by the caption, “I pray I’m never this late for a tee time, but I do pray for the means to pull up this way if I was.” Don’t we all?

If you’re wondering why the name of this golf course sounds familiar, it’s because the Riviera Country Club annually hosts the Tiger Woods Foundation’s Genesis Invitational and has also been the site of a US Open, two PGA Championships, and a US Amateur. It will soon hold the 2026 Women’s Open, 2028 Olympics, and 2031 US Open.

FMI: www.therivieracountryclub.com