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MULTIPLE people have died after a plane plummeted in a San Diego military housing neighborhood setting ablaze 15 homes and cars.
Officials have been unable to establish the exact number of victims after the plane crashed – and possibly hit a power line – while landing in heavy fog.
The small plane crashed in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, near Tierrasanta, before 4 am, reported ABC 10 in San Diego.
Police and fire officials said there was a direct hit upon about 15 homes, and multiple vehicles – which were set alight in a massive fireball.
Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy told reporters, “When it hit the street, as the jet fuel went down it took out every single car that was on both sides of the street.
“You can see that every single car was burning down both sides of the street.”
During the latest update – from the crash site – authorities also confirmed that multiple people on board the private plane have tragically died.
Emergency responders said they were searching for victims among a large debris field because of the extensive blast radius.
A police spokesman described the horrific impact as “a movie-style scene.” Cops rescued three husky puppies from one of the many charred homes.
“I can’t quite put words to describe what the scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see,” said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl.
Nobody has been transported to hospital from the area as yet, as the emergency services are still trying to establish the number of people on board the plane.
However, San Diego police and fire officials said the plane could hold eight to 10 people.
One wounded person has been hospitalized, while a further two have been treated and released, said the San Diego Police Department.
According to the California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) log, the crash occurred in the 10000 block of Sample Street, near Salmon Street, west of the Admiral Baker Golf Course.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene after the crash was first reported just before 3:50 am.
Police have confirmed in a recent update that it was a private plane, about to land at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
Responders have spent this morning carrying out a primary and secondary search of the area, with several blocks under evacuation orders.
Many military service members live in the neighborhood, which is made up of single family homes and townhomes. It also is heavily populated by small civilian and military aircraft.
HUGE EXPLOSION
Residents reported being woken up by a large “boom.”
One local woman told ABC 10 that when she saw a wall of orange flames outside her home, she quickly realized she had to make a speedy escape.
ORANGE SKY
A man who also heard a large explosion said he saw the plane plummeting to the ground in Sample Street.
When he saw a “trail of orange” and the “sky light up orange” following the crash, he knew he had to immediately evacuate his family.
They safely escaped the inferno.
But their car, which was parked in front of their home, was destroyed after it ended up being dragged all the way down Sample Street amid the plane wreckage.
The man said he was shocked as he would never have imagined a plane crash in the densely populated residential area.
Christopher Moore, who lives one street over from the crash site, said he and his wife were awakened by a loud bang and saw smoke filling the street.
While escaping, they saw a car engulfed in flames, “It was definitely horrifying for sure.”
Power lines are also down, which has prompted an emergency response from energy workers.
We have jet fuel all over the place
A temporary evacuation center has already been established, at Miller Elementary School on 4343 Shields Street.
Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said earlier, “We have jet fuel all over the place.
“Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now.” Hazmat teams are at the scene.
Eddy confirmed it was very foggy at the time the private plane crashed. “You could barely see in front of you,” he added.
He also said during a news conference that they will be investigating whether the plane hit a power line.
CESSNA 550
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the plane was a Cessna 550 aircraft.
It confirmed that it crashed near the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
“The number of people on board is unknown at this time,” the FAA said in a statement.
The plane can carry six to eight people.
It was a flight coming in from the Midwest, according to officials.
NO DISTRESS CALL
Pete Muntean, CNN’s aviation correspondent, said on X that there was, “No apparent distress call from the Citation private jet that crashed into Navy housing on approach into San Diego’s Montgomery Field.
“About 100 people were evacuated to a nearby school.”
The flight tracking site Flight Aware lists a Cessna Citation II jet that was scheduled to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego at 3:47 am from the small Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas.
The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport and Gillespie Field are located near the devastated area.
With the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see
The San Diego Police Department has asked people to contact authorities if they find any plane debris or jet fuel.
It said on X, “Multiple fatalities confirmed in crash near Sculpin St & Santo Rd.
“1 person hospitalized, 2 treated & released. Evacuations + road closures remain. Area expected closed all day as FAA investigates. Call 619-531-2000 if you find debris or jet fuel.”
Responders are going door-to-door to check on occupants, including at the military housing complex. Emergency teams said they expected to remain at the crash site for the remainder of today, and overnight.
TRAFFIC BLOCKED
Caltrans has warned motorists that, as a result of the crash, the northbound Interstate 15 off-ramp to Aero Drive has been closed.
Every southbound lane of the nearby Santo Road has also been shut down during the emergency response.
Police have warned local residents against trying to travel to the affected area, to allow emergency crews to search for possible victims.
SCHOOLS CLOSED
San Diego Unified School District announced that Hancock Elementary and Miller Elementary have both been closed for lessons today due to the tragedy.
Child care for both schools will be provided at Miller Elementary, it added.
LATEST CRASH
Today’s incident is the latest in a series of fatal plane crashes in the United States.
The most deadly was the collision of a passenger jet and a military helicopter over the Potomac River that that killed 67 people in January.
In February, an airliner clipped another while taxiing at the Seattle airport – one of many such collisions reported this year.
Then in March, an American Airlines plane caught fire after landing in Denver, sending 12 people to the hospital.
Last month, the crash of a small plane in New York killed all six on board — a physician couple and their children and partners — during a family trip to the Catskills.
In October 2021, a twin-engine plane smashed into a San Diego suburb, killing the pilot and a UPS delivery driver on the ground and burning homes. It was preparing to land at the airport.
