Video: Plane hit by train after crashing on railway tracks in California

Police in Los Angeles, California, pulled the pilot from a crash-landed Cessna seconds before the aircraft was hit by a train on Sunday, sending debris flying in all directions.

Dramatic video obtained by Reuters shows several officers freeing the man from the downed plane, which had crashed shortly after takeoff in the Pacoima neighborhood, according to local media. The officers and pilot are just a few feet away from the tracks when the passing train destroys the plane.

"The plane had a failed takeoff and landed on the train tracks at a popular intersection," said Luis Jimenez, the 21-year-old music composer who filmed the video.

The department applauded its officers, saying in the tweet they had "displayed heroism and quick action by saving the life of a pilot who made an emergency landing on the railroad tracks."