San Diego residents did not expect to see a plane fly straight at them during a shopping trip, but that is what happened in the California city.

On Wednesday afternoon a small, single-engine Mooney M-20L crashed landed on the parking lot of a San Diego shopping center, according to USA Today. The shopping center, where a Target and Costco are located, is near the Montgomery Field airport.

Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane attempted to land at 5:25 p.m. but "continued westbound and crashed in a Costco parking lot," reports USA Today.

The two women aboard the plane, USA Today reports, were helped by bystanders who tried to free them from the burning plane.

According to NBC San Diego, the 52-year-old pilot was pulled from the wreckage and taken to a local hospital but authorities have not released any information on her condition. Her passenger, an 80-year-old woman, died of her wounds in the hospital. Many of her wounds, according to fire officials, were severe burns.

"I heard the plane coming -- it was a different sound -- and I knew they didn't have enough power to make the lift they needed to do," Gregg Smith, a witness who works nearby, told NBC San Diego.

"I heard the distinctive thud of it hitting one of the light poles in the parking lot, and I heard it crash. The next thing I saw was a bunch of flames and black smoke," he added.

One of the bystanders that tried to help and was subsequently hurt is a Costco employee, according to another Costco worker who spoke with NBC San Diego. Some say the pilot's decision to land on the parking lot may have saved lives.

Vince Carter, a helicopter pilot, heard the Mooney's pilot say over the radio that she was going down, according to the Associated Press. But her quick thinking and ability to crash land the plane on the parking lot may have averted a greater catastrophe.

"This is a miracle and testament to her skill as a pilot," he told KNSD-TV, reports the Associated Press. "This could have very easily killed a lot of people. You could imagine, just shopping at Target, and a plane comes through the roof full of fuel."