Pilot Anastasia Vournas noticed the plane's engine sputtering and losing power before it gave out, she told independent video news agency Key News Network. At that point, Vournas knew the flight wouldn't make it to its intended destination of Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, so she searched for a spot to make an emergency landing and brought the plane down in a watermelon field.
"Engine failure, left engine," a pilot can be heard saying. "Mayday, mayday, mayday." The Boeing 787 landed safely after just 30 minutes in the air, having dumped fuel near the airport.