San Diego: Plane Crash in Residential Area — All Aboard Feared Dead, 10 Homes Damaged
San Diego Plane Crash latest news: A private jet crashed into a San Diego neighborhood housing military families early Thursday morning, killing at least two people and injuring eight others, The New York Times reported, citing authorities.
The crash made a direct hit on homes in the Tierrasanta neighborhood while families were asleep, according to Assistant Fire Chief Dan Eddy. The plane went down just before 4 a.m.
“Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now,” Eddy stated.
Authorities confirmed that two people died and eight others were injured in the crash. Investigators believe both fatalities were passengers or crew members on the plane, and that no one on board survived.
“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,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said during a Thursday morning press conference.
San Diego officials have not yet released specific details about the aircraft, but said the plane had stopped in Wichita, Kansas, to refuel before the crash, as per New York Post report.
San Diego plane crash (Image Courtesy: New York Post)
According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, as reported, a Cessna Citation II jet was scheduled to arrive at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport at 3:47 a.m., after departing from Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita. The flight originally departed from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey on Wednesday night.
Teterboro Airport, located about 6 miles from Manhattan, is frequently used by private and corporate jets, the report said.
Cessna Citation II jets are typically valued between $900,000 and $1.3 million, according to listings on Trade-a-Plane.com.
The crashed aircraft was registered to Daviator LLC, an Alaska-based company solely managed by 42-year-old David Shapiro of El Cajon, California. FAA records cited by CBS 8 indicate that Shapiro has been a certified flight instructor since 2010, with a license issued in Alaska. It is still unclear whether he was on board at the time of the crash.
Later, officials confirmed that among those killed was music industry executive David Shapiro, 42, according to the report.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation, the report said.
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