Golf course landings are not uncommon with planes that need to make emergency landings in urban areas, due to their open terrain and relative lack of people. One of the most famous instances of that was when actor Harrison Ford made a much rougher landing at Penmar Golf Course, right next to the same Santa Monica Airport.

Flying objects aren’t an unusual sight on the golf course, though they’re typically of the golf ball-sized and shape variety. Which made the sight of a small aircraft using the green as an emergency tarmac all the more shocking.