It happened at Van Nuys Boulevard and San Fernando Road around 12 p.m. The fixed wing single engine airplane came to rest on a block wall between two buildings. The crash was so severe the engine became separated from the fuselage.
"Looks like he hit primarily nose first and then falls back on a wrought iron fence with spikes on it. The spikes penetrate the fuselage but amazingly, they don't injure the patients," said Los Angeles Fire Battalion Chief Randy Beaty.
Witnesses helped get the passenger out of the wreckage, then firefighters arrived and got the pilot to safety.
The two men on the plane were taken to the hospital and are listed in serious and fair conditions.
No one on the ground was injured. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
