Barry Melrose, the former hockey player and coach who guided the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final before becoming one of the sport’s most recognizable television voices, has died at 70.
ESPN confirmed Melrose’s death on Wednesday, saying the news was shared with the network by his wife.
“From the flowing locks of his distinctive mullet to the flared lapels of his trademark long suit coats, Barry Melrose cut an unmistakable figure whenever you were fortunate enough to run into him at a rink or catch him on your television screen,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “You were even more fortunate if you engaged him in conversation or listened to his analysis because he never failed to boost your love of the game of hockey.”
Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images
Melrose left his role as an ESPN hockey analyst in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. At the time, Wayne Gretzky described him as “bigger than any team.”
Known for an approachable, everyman style on air, Melrose blended sharp hockey analysis with humor and personality. His goatee, slicked-back hair and unmistakable presence made him a familiar figure to generations of NHL fans.
“For decades, Barry Melrose was one of the most distinctive and trusted voices in hockey,” ESPN said in a statement. “His knowledge of the game was deep, his candor was refreshing and his passion was unmistakable.”
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From rural Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Melrose broke into pro hockey with the Cincinnati Stingers of the now-defunct World Hockey Association in 1976. He played three seasons in Cincinnati — the last teaming with a young Mark Messier — and, following the WHA’s demise, made the transition to the NHL with Winnipeg in 1979.
Melrose went on to play for Toronto and Detroit, where he closed his career following the 1985-86 season.
He finished with 10 goals and 33 points and 728 penalty minutes in 300 career NHL regular-season games, and he skated in seven more in the playoffs. His WHA totals were five goals and 32 points and 343 penalty minutes in 178 games with Cincinnati.
Melrose turned to coaching and led the Adirondack Red Wings to win the American Hockey League Calder Cup championship in 1992.
The following year, Melrose was hired by the Kings, where he brought a sense of colorful flare and instant success to Los Angeles. In his rookie season, he coached a Kings team that featured Gretzky to make a memorable playoff run. They reached the final before losing to Montreal in five games.
Melrose finished with a record of 79-101 and 29 ties over two-plus seasons in L.A. before being fired midway through the 1994-95 season.
He was hired by ESPN in 1996 and left broadcasting for what became a brief stint coaching the Tampa Bay Lightning in Steven Stamkos’ rookie season in 2008-09. Melrose was fired 16 games into the season following a 5-7-4 start and returned to broadcasting.
Melrose also was known for his long-ball hitting prowess in fast-pitch softball, joining fellow Kelvington-area NHL players Wendel Clark, Joey Kocur, Kelly Chase and Kevin Kaminski and others in the offseason in Saskatchewan to form what some call “the toughest team there ever was.”
Labor Premier Says Skilled Migrants Add $415k Each to Economy
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has delivered a sharp warning to Australians calling for migration cuts, saying lower immigration would only make the nation’s biggest challenges “worse”.
Speaking at the Sydney Institute on Wednesday night, Malinauskas made a forceful case for skilled migration, arguing that overseas workers bring a major economic upside and help strengthen Australia’s public finances.
‘A primary skilled migrant delivers a net benefit of about $415,000 to government finances over their lifetime in Australia, while the average native-born Australian costs the government around $85,000,’ he said.
‘Want more affordable housing? We need more sparkies, tilers, roofers and bricklayers. Want Mum and Dad to get an aged care bed? We need more trained care workers.
‘If you value public education and Medicare but worry about government debt, migration helps pay for it. It’s that simple.
‘Skilled migrants are big net taxpayers … Not only is immigration not a drain on our public services, migration is part of the reason governments can afford to pay for those services.’
The staunchly pro-migration Labor state leader used his argument to warn against falling prey to the migration crackdown desires of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party which has surged in the polls since the May 2025 federal election.
‘I’m here to insist that Australians in positions of leadership must now be on stages like this one and explain how unreasonably slashing our immigration intake is not going to fix our problems,’ Malinauskas said.
Peter Malinauskas (pictured) warned that cutting migration levels would make things ‘worse’
The Coalition and One Nation have both called for lower levels of migration into Australia
‘It is only going to make them worse.’
‘The prospect of mainstream politics descending into a race to the bottom over who can cut migration the most is madness.’
Malinauskas said people worried about migration rates were more likely to be anxious about economic impacts, including housing supply, than they were to be racist.
On the national scene, debate is intensifying as One Nation links Australia’s migration rate with the housing crisis and inner-city crime.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke delayed a National Press Club speech in August in which he was widely expected to announce migration cuts. It is understood the cabinet is still finalising plans.
Australia’s net overseas migration fell to 301,000 in 2025, which was a 45 per cent decrease from the post-Covid peak in 2023 and down 9 per cent from 2024.
One Nation has called for the rate to be slashed to 130,000 visas per year, though numbers presented by party members in recent months have varied.
The coalition wants lower levels correlating to the number of homes built the year prior, while pursuing what its policy terms a ‘values-based’ scheme to ensure migrants support the so-called Australian way of life.
One Nation has called for the rate to be slashed to 130,000 visas per year, though numbers presented by party members in recent months have varied
On Thursday morning, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said migration levels remained too high, arguing that population growth was outstripping Australia’s ability to build enough homes.
‘When you have 550,000 in a year, and housing is well below 200,000, it doesn’t match. It just doesn’t match,’ he said.
Taylor said Australia needed to ensure housing, infrastructure and services kept pace with the population.
‘We need to make sure that we have enough houses for the population growth we’ve got in this country.’
He said that was ‘common sense’, but argued it ‘has not been the common sense of the [Albanese] government’.
But Mr Malinauskas did not agree with the coalition’s arguments, calling for a more nuanced understanding from all parties on skills shortages.
‘Australia doesn’t really have a migration crisis so much as a housing crisis,’ he told ABC Radio.
‘If we have a housing crisis, we would do well to focus our skills policy on making sure that we’re bringing in the very workers that we require in the housing and construction industry.’
The premier said it was incumbent on leaders to make strong economic arguments for a well-calibrated migration program that did not arbitrarily block people from entering the country.
Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s Son Brandon Thomas Lee Announces Engagement
Brandon Thomas Lee and Katarina Demetriades are officially engaged, marking a romantic new milestone in their relationship.
The producer, who received an Emmy nomination for Pamela, A Love Story—the documentary centered on his parents, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee—popped the question during a summer trip to Indonesia on Aug. 29, People reported. The couple first began dating in 2025.
Brandon and Katarina shared the news in a joint Instagram post on Sept. 9, posting snapshots from their tropical getaway along with a close look at her sparkling engagement ring. “Meet my fiancé,” they captioned the announcement. Brandon added in the comments, alongside a rocket ship emoji, “To infinity and beyond my love!”
The vacation photos offered a glimpse at the proposal trip ahead of their expected late 2027 wedding, according to the outlet. The future bride and groom were seen kissing on the beach and enjoying a boat ride, while Katarina also posed in a bathtub filled with rose petals arranged to spell out “I love you.”
Pamela, who also shares 28-year-old Dylan Jagger Lee with ex-husband Tommy, expressed her excitement over her eldest son’s engagement to Katarina, a 22-year-old actress and influencer who has appeared on Will & Grace.
Norway Royal Scandal: Queen Sonja Shuns New King’s Rapist Stepson
Marius Borg Høiby appeared to receive a notably cool reception from Queen Sonja on Wednesday as Norway’s royal family gathered for the funeral of her husband, King Harald V.
The 29-year-old, who holds no royal title and carries out no official duties, is serving a four-year sentence under house arrest at his parents’ Skaugum Estate while appealing his conviction on two rape charges.
Høiby attended the service at Oslo Cathedral with his mother, Queen Mette-Marit, his stepfather, King Haakon VIII, and his half-siblings, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra — now first in line to the throne — and Prince Sverre Magnus.
But his placement inside the cathedral underscored his troubled standing within the Norwegian Royal Family. Rather than sitting directly with his closest relatives, Høiby — often described as the family’s “black sheep” — was positioned a row behind them, alongside his step-aunt Princess Martha Louise and her daughters.
Queen Sonja also seemed to keep her distance. Footage shared on X showed the 89-year-old widow embracing each of Martha Louise’s daughters, who had arrived with Høiby, while he appeared to be left out of the exchange.
But when the moment came for her step-grandson to come forward for an affectionate greeting, the Queen started a conversation with the Bishop of Oslo Sunniva Gylver, perhaps hoping to avoid hugging the rapist.
It’s unclear if the two shared a more positive hello off camera, since Høiby wasn’t seen during the entirety of the clip.
Meanwhile, the Bishop looked somewhat stern as she greeted Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship on the steps of the cathedral ahead of the service.
The disgraced stepson of Norway’s new monarch appeared to be shunned by his step-grandmother Queen Sonja at the funeral of her husband King Harald V’s on Wednesday. Pictured, Marius Borg Høiby
The Bishop looked somewhat stern as she greeted Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship on the steps of the cathedral ahead of the service
Høiby previously joined his relatives to carry the coffin of Harald from the Royal Palace to the palace chapel last week while temporarily released, sparking fierce backlash from royal fans.
Haakon’s stepson was convicted on two counts of rape and jailed for four years following a six-week trial that laid bare allegations of violence, drug abuse and sexual misconduct.
An Oslo court also found him guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend, Nora Haukland, issuing threats and committing traffic offences, although he was acquitted of two other rape charges.
The 29-year-old had been charged with sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist between 2018 and 2024.
The conviction marked a fall for Hoiby, who grew up in the public eye after his mother married then Crown Prince Haakon in 2001 when he was just four years old.
Although he does not hold a royal title or carry out official duties, he has long been closely associated with the Norwegian royal family.
Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad handed down the sentence after hearing evidence linked to 40 charges, including four alleged rapes, assaults, breaches of restraining orders, drug offences and driving violations. One charge relating to a restraining-order violation was overturned.
The court heard how Hoiby’s drug addiction spiralled in recent years, while investigators presented more than 800 messages and a series of self-made videos of sexual encounters as evidence during the trial.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, who has no royal title or duties, is currently serving a four-year prison sentence under house arrest at his parents’ Skaugum Estate while he appeals his conviction for two counts of rape
Høiby joined his stepfather King Haakon VIII, and half-siblings Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, now heir to the throne, and Prince Sverre Magnus, as well as his mother Queen Mette-Marit at Oslo Cathedral for the service
However, in a sign of his fall from grace, Høiby, dubbed the ‘black sheep’ of the Royal Family was sat in the row behind his loved ones, with his step-aunt Princess Martha Louise and her daughters
He also appeared to be shunned by his step-grandmother Queen Sonja. In a video shared online on X, Harald’s widow, 89, hugged each one of Martha Louise’s daughter, who Høiby arrived alongside (pictured)
One alleged rape took place in the basement of the family home, the court was told.
Høiby, who denied the most serious allegations, including rape, while admitting to some lesser offences, was not physically present in court for the verdict and instead joined proceedings via video link.
Haakon and Mette-Marit were pictured visiting Høiby in custody ahead of the sentencing in June, but they did not attend the high-profile trial that rocked the country.
Ahead of the trial, Haakon made his longest statement about the charges against Høiby, noting ‘we care about him and he is an important member of our family’, while reiterating that his stepson is not a working royal and does not have any titles.
The monarch said: ‘Our thoughts are with everyone who is affected by this case. It has an impact on the individuals, their families and all those who care about them. We understand that this is a difficult time for many of you, and we sympathise.
‘At the same time, it is reassuring to know that we live in a state governed by the rule of law. I am confident that those responsible for overseeing the proceedings will ensure that the trial is conducted in as orderly, proper, and just a manner as possible.
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‘Marius Borg Høiby is not a member of the Royal House of Norway and is therefore autonomous. We care about him, and he is an important member of our family. He is a citizen of Norway and, as such, has the same responsibilities as everyone else – as well as the same rights.’
On Thursday, royals from around the world including Prince William and Princess Anne attended the funeral of King Harald V.
The Prince of Wales represented his father King Charles at the service at Oslo Cathedral, while his aunt, the Princess Royal, attended in a private and personal capacity as godmother of the new King Haakon.
The Bishop of Oslo Sunniva Gylver greets Hoiby at the front of Oslo Cathedral
Hoiby arrives for the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V at Oslo Cathedral
Norway’s Prince Sverre Magnus, King Haakon and Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra led the funeral procession
The funeral procession with Norway’s King Harald’s coffin leaves the Palace on the way to Oslo Cathedral on the day of his funeral
Queen Mette-Marit appeared solemn at her father-in-law’s funeral
They were joined by other royals, including King Felipe of Spain, Queen Rania of Jordan and Princess Charlene of Monaco.
The coffin was taken from the palace to the cathedral in a procession of senior Norwegian royals including King Haakon, foreign guests and representatives from Norway’s and other parliaments.
Haakon walked behind the coffin, draped with the red Norwegian royal standard, alongside his eldest child Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, his son Prince Sverre Magnus and his sister Princess Martha Louise.
Queen Mette-Marit, who missed her husband’s swearing-in ceremony due to ‘complications’ from her recent lung transplant surgery in June, and Harald’s widow Queen Sonja followed the coffin in a car.
King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden also joined the procession.
Political leaders including Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy were also in attendance.
The public lined the streets of the Norwegian capital in their thousands to bid a final farewell to Harald, who reigned for 35 years.
Scores of churches, libraries, cultural centres and city halls were also making big screens available for the public to watch the funeral, public broadcaster NRK reported.
A 21-gun salute rang out over the capital at the start of the funeral procession.
From left, King Hakkon, Prince Sverre Magnus, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Marius Borg Hoiby, Princess Martha Louise, Leah Behn and Emma Behn carry the coffin of King Harald V
The Norwegian royal house also has kinfolk in other European royal families. Harald and Haakon are related to both King Charles and Spain’s King Felipe, who are all descendants of Queen Victoria.
King Harald V passed away on August 28 at the age of 89 after suffering a rare blood condition known as haemolytic anaemia.
His son immediately became King Haakon VIII and last week pledged an oath of allegiance to Norway’s constitution in parliament.
Ahead of the funeral, Norwegians waited patiently to file past Harald’s coffin as it lay in state in the chapel of the royal palace in Oslo, with the queue stretching seven hours long over the weekend.
After the funeral, Harald’s coffin will be taken in a procession to the palace chapel at Akershus Castle, where the late king’s ancestors are buried.
After a private ceremony for the Norwegian royals, who will be joined by some of the foreign guests and senior Norwegian officials, it will be lowered into the crypt.
Today, the throne’s role in Norway is largely symbolic and power lies with the elected government and parliament, but the Norwegian royal family retains a role in promoting the wealthy Scandinavian nation around the world.
Norway’s monarchy traces its origins to King Harald Fairhair in the ninth century. When Norway regained its independence from Sweden in 1905, three-quarters of voters in a national plebiscite approved restoring the monarchy.
A minute’s silence was held across Norway at the start of the funeral ceremony. Eulogies were delivered by Norway’s parliament speaker and prime minister, and there was a candle-lighting ceremony with representatives of different faiths.
The government says it’s not an official holiday, but schools and workplaces could individually opt to let students and employees tune in for today’s events. The government advised that ‘noisy events should be suspended while the funeral is ongoing’.
Zelensky’s Plane Nearly Hit by Drone Before King’s Funeral
A plane transporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Norway for the king’s state funeral came close to being struck by a drone while preparing to depart Moldova on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre disclosed the incident to public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday, according to the outlet, after Zelensky’s aircraft had landed safely in Oslo on Tuesday evening.
“His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was about to take off from Moldova. That is the reality he is facing,” Støre said. He did not say how near the drone came to the Ukrainian president’s aircraft.
A Moldovan government spokesperson later said the episode involved two Russian drones, and that Zelensky’s trip to Oslo was delayed after authorities shut down Moldova’s airspace.
The aircraft was eventually given permission to depart after officials established that one of the Russian drones had come down on Moldovan territory, the spokesperson told Reuters.
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One landed in a field north of the capital, sparking a fire, while the other continued into Romanian airspace.
The incursions forced Chișinău International Airport to temporarily suspend arrivals and departures Tuesday, sending incoming flights into holding patterns or diverting them to neighboring countries, according to tracking data.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu denounced the incursions as a “serious threat to people’s lives” and separately condemned a Russian drone strike on a border crossing with Ukraine that killed two people.
Zelensky arrived in Oslo Tuesday evening, where he discussed military aid, including air defense support and civilian assistance with Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, according to Deutsche Welle.
The Institute for the Study of War also said a Russian Shahed drone flew through Moldovan and Romanian airspace for about an hour Tuesday before crashing in Moldova.
Harry Styles Faces Backlash Over NYC Concert Ticket Seen as 9/11 Nod Days Before 25th Anniversary
Harry Styles is facing backlash over ticket artwork for his Together, Together Tour after fans noticed what many described as an unsettling reference to Sept. 11, surfacing just two days before Friday’s 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The image, shared by a social media user, appears to show a yellow car — seemingly carrying Styles — soaring above the Empire State Building while leaving a streak across the spire of the famed New York City landmark.
The design reportedly appears on a ticket for Wednesday, Sept. 9, marking the seventh night of Styles’ Madison Square Garden run.
Reaction online was swift, with one user writing, “putting that on the back the week of 9/11 is f–king insane 😭 it’s cute but i fear that was not a good idea.” Another called the choice “a little bold given its 9/11 week in NYC.”
Others were equally stunned. “bro that’s wild,” one commenter posted, while another questioned, “literally who approved this 😭?”
Page Six has reached out to Styles’ representatives for comment.
This ticket fiasco comes as NYC is preparing to mourn the nearly 3,000 lives lost when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center collapsed after two commercial airlines flew into them on Sept. 11, 2001.
The collective 9/11 attacks are the deadliest terrorist attack in United States history.
Styles is currently midway through a 30-night residency at Madison Square Garden that kicked off Aug. 26 and run through Halloween on Oct. 31.
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He’s already performed in Amsterdam, London, São Paulo and Mexico City.
He’ll head to Australia for shows in Melbourne and Sydney after wrapping up his time in NYC — his only stop in the United States on his Together, Together Tour.
The tour is Styles’ third solo tour since his split from One Direction and is in support of his fourth studio album, 2026’s “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.”
The “Watermelon Sugar” singer emailed his fans Wednesday to share that he’ll be announcing 2027 dates for the Together, Together tour on Thursday, Sept. 10.
“When we decided to do the 2026 tour I knew it would be special but what you turned it into was far beyond what I could have imagined,” he began in the email, per Rolling Stone.
“I love playing music, I love being with all of you and being a part of the love and joy you all create together every night,” he continued. “That’s why I wanted you to be the first to know we will be adding 2027 dates.”
While Styles admitted the thought of adding additional dates was “daunting,” he shared that “being an artist is the only life [he’s] ever known” and that he feels “like the luckiest person in the world to still be sharing these moments with [his fans].”
The Grammy winner said the dates that will be announced are for the “final cities” for the tour.
“After that, I don’t know what comes next for me,” he revealed, “but I know that I’m excited to find out.”
Styles is currently engaged to actress Zoë Kravitz, so perhaps he’ll be turning his attention to wedding planning when he’s off the road.
Asian Stocks Slide as Oil Prices Hold Above $100 a Barrel
BANGKOK – Asian stock markets moved lower Thursday, tracking losses on Wall Street as renewed pressure from oil prices rattled investors and crude once again climbed above $100 a barrel.
U.S. stock futures, however, edged slightly higher, suggesting a steadier start ahead for American markets.
Brent crude surged 3.4% on Wednesday, breaking through the $100-a-barrel mark for the first time since July. By early Thursday, the benchmark had eased only marginally, trading at around $101 a barrel.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have intensified concerns over oil supply, with the latest attacks disrupting flows through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints. U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that oil prices are unlikely to decline until after the U.S. midterm elections.
Across Asia, major indexes retreated. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.8% to 64,597.46, while South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.9% to 6,989.06.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.4% to 24,932.95, while the Shanghai Composite index gave up 0.3% to 3,939.43.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 1.5% to 8,774.50.
Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.8%.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 index fell 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite gave up 0.6%. The indexes are all on track for a weekly loss.
Oil prices drove much of the action on Wall Street. The U.S. destroyed five Iranian tankers on Tuesday in a series of attacks between the two nations. The conflict that began in February has essentially shut down traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil supply passed before the war began.
Retailers were among the companies that pulled the market lower. Amazon fell 1.8%, Starbucks lost 1.9% and Home Depot dropped 1%. Every sector within the benchmark S&P 500 declined except for energy, which rose as oil companies notched gains. Exxon Mobil rose 2.2% and Chevron added 1.9%.
The jump in oil prices over the course of the war has pushed prices for many goods higher. Gasoline prices in the U.S. are up about 32% from a year ago to $4.22 per gallon. Higher fuel costs cut into household budgets directly and also indirectly raise prices for goods because of higher shipping costs.
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The price of diesel, which can have an outsized impact on consumers because it is used in shipping and production, hit an all-time high Friday and has continued to climb since. The average price for a gallon reached $5.94 overnight and is now 9 cents higher than it was Friday.
Inflation was already stubbornly high when the U.S. started its war against Iran because of the U.S. trade war with much of the world.
An update on wholesale prices is due later Thursday with the release of the Producer Price Index for August. It measures the prices businesses pay for goods before they reach customers. That report will be followed up Friday with the release of the Consumer Price Index, or CPI, for August, which shows the more direct price impact for households.
The latest reports are expected to show that the rate of inflation remains above 3%, above the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%.
Elsewhere on Wall Street, shares of Meta Platforms rose 6.6% as the parent company of Instagram and Facebook launched a personal artificial intelligence agent, Muse, for people 18 and over who are looking for help with day-to-day tasks like schedules and shopping.
Rising Treasury yields in the bond market were also weighing down stocks on Wall Street Wednesday.
The U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday that it would buy back up to $6 billion in long-term debt. That follows an announcement in August previewing plans for an unusually large buyback in an effort to contain rising yields, which make it more expensive for U.S. companies to borrow money and also weigh down other investments, such as stocks.
Bond yields were holding steady prior to the announcement, but gained ground shortly after.
In other dealings early Thursday, the U.S. dollar fell to 153.42 Japanese yen from 153.54 yen. The euro rose to $1.1640 from $1.1632.
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AP Business Writers Damian J. Troise and Michelle Chapman in New York, and Alex Veiga in Los Angeles, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Fiery Plane Crash in San Diego Leaves 2 Dead
Two people were killed Monday when a small plane crashed at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego, California.
Video from the scene captured the intense aftermath, with flames and a column of thick black smoke rising from the wreckage of the Cessna.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in preliminary information provided to News Media that “a Cessna 172 crashed while landing at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in California around 5:15 p.m. local time on Monday, Sept. 7. Two people were on board. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation and will provide further updates.”
Thick black smoke rises from the burning aircraft following a fatal plane crash in San Diego, California. (Storyful / Mauricio Godinez via Storyful)
In a separate statement to News Media, the NTSB said early findings indicate the aircraft “impacted terrain on airport property” during a go-around, after which a “post impact fire ensued.”
The FAA explains on its website that a go-around “discontinues the landing approach and returns the aircraft to an altitude and configuration to safely make another approach.”
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“An NTSB investigator is en route to the scene and is expected to arrive this afternoon,” the NTSB’s statement first issued Tuesday noted. “Once on site, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft. The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation.”
A Cessna 172 taking a sunset flight over the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. (Edwin Remsberg/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
An FAA preliminary notice regarding the incident suggests that the crash occurred after the plane’s “LEFT WING DIPPED” and the aircraft then “APPEARED TO STALL AND SPUN INTO GROUND.”
KNSD reports include footage of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department’s Brian Raines noting that the aircraft had been “heavily damaged” and responders were unable to extract the victims, but needed to focus on quenching the flames.
San Diego Fire-Rescue Department public information officer Candace Hadley told News Media on Wednesday that their hearts and thoughts go out to the crash victims’ families. She said that more than 30 department personnel had responded to the incident.
News Media reached out to the San Diego Police Department on Wednesday.