A passing motorist captured video of the crash showing the plane nosedive into a street and slam into a brick mailbox before coming to rest, narrowly missing passing cars.
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The pilot, Remy Colin, told ABC News it was supposed to be a test flight for the plane that had recently come out of its annual checkups.
Colin said he had been distracted by fixing the plane's faulty radio and failed to check his fuel level.
The plane ran out of gas and lost all power.
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Colin said he did not see any other place where he could land, so he decided to sacrifice the plane and did his best not to injure anyone.
He said he suffered bruising, but was otherwise okay and he was the only one on the plane.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the crash.