At least three people are dead and several others injured after a small plane crashed into the San Diego military housing neighborhood of Murphy Canyon early Thursday morning.
At a news conference, San Diego Assistant Fire Chief Dan Eddy said they are still trying to confirm if the fatalities were people on board the plane.
The music agency, Sound Talent Group, said three of its employees were killed in the crash, including its co-founder, Dave Shapiro, who is listed as the plane’s owner.
“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,” the company stated. Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy. Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time.”
The crash, involving a Cessna 550 plane, occurred near Sculpin Street and Santo Road, close to the 15 Freeway. Capt. Bob Heely, Commanding Officer of the Naval base in San Diego, explained that the neighborhood where the crash occurred is Navy-owned housing.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed later on Thursday that there were six people aboard the plane.
The San Diego Police Department has issued evacuations for Salmon, Sample and Sculpin streets. Miller Elementary School at 4343 Shields Street is currently serving as an evacuation site. Hancock and Miller elementary schools will be closed on Thursday, the San Diego Unified Police said. Police added that southbound Santo Road at Aero Drive will be closed for an unknown duration.
“Our city will be supporting these families who are impacted here,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “They are part of the military community that makes up our city.”
After surveying the impacted area, San Diego officials said about 100 people have been displaced and 10 buildings have been damaged. The American Red Cross has responded to the incident and is providing help to the families impacted.
A camera crew from the CBS affiliate KFMB-TV captured images of the destruction left behind from the crash, showing debris scattered across lawns. Officials explained that jet fuel from the crash ran down the street, igniting fires on parked cars.
“I can’t quite put words to describe what this scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street and everything all on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see,” said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl.
Preliminary information from the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane crashed near the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport around 3:45 a.m. When crews from the San Diego Fire Department arrived on the scene, they quickly worked to extinguish fires at homes and cars.
The flight originated from the Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey, on Wednesday and made a stop at the Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas, before heading toward the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego, according to FlightAware.
Eliott Simpson with the National Transportation Safety Board said at an afternoon news conference that the plane struck power lines two miles southeast of the airport, and then collided with a house. He said there were fragments of the airplane underneath the power lines.
As of Thursday afternoon, it was still not known how many people were on board the plane, so the total number of fatalities is not yet known. Simpson said more investigators are arriving Thursday evening to document the accident site and the plan is to recover the airplane and move it to a secure location on Saturday.
The FAA and the NTSB will investigate the cause of the crash. According to the NTSB, a preliminary report will be available in two weeks, with a final report available in 12 to 18 months.