– A single-engine airplane landed safely on the southbound 23 Freeway in the Moorpark area on Monday evening, at times flying just inches above cars travelling on the crowded freeway.

The fixed-wing single-engine plane came down around 4:37 p.m. in traffic lanes near Tierra Rejada Road, according to the California Highway Patrol incident log.

Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, described the incident as a “precautionary landing.”

“We just had an engine problem,” said the pilot Sevak Sargsyan. “The engine was sputtering and we had to land.”

Sargsyan, who is also an instructor, was on a training flight out of Van Nuys with a student pilot at the time of the incident.

The main concern, Sargsyan said, was the safety of everyone on the ground.

“I was looking for a spot where I could put the plane down,” Sargsyan said.

The aircraft made a safe landing and no injuries reported, according to Capt. Mike Lindbery with the Ventura County Fire Department.