Private plane crashed into US’ San Diego’s neighbourhood, houses damaged, cars on fire, investigation underway

Private plane crashed into US’ San Diego’s neighbourhood, houses damaged, cars on fire, investigation underway

A private jet crashed into military housing in San Diego during foggy weather early Thursday, igniting cars parked along a suburban neighborhood block and killing multiple people on board the plane, authorities said. The plane could hold eight to 10 people but it’s not yet known how many were on the aircraft, Assistant San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy said at a news conference. Authorities will be investigating whether the plane hit a power line, he said. The aircraft crashed just before 4 a.m. into the U.S. military’s largest housing neighborhood. It appeared to strike at least one home that had a charred and collapsed roof and smash through half a dozen vehicles. About 10 homes suffered damage.

What happened in the plane crash?

Authorities initially said no one was transported by emergency crews from the military housing. But after a morning news conference, San Diego police officer Anthony Carrasco said five people from a single family were hospitalized for smoke inhalation. Another person was treated at a hospital for injuries sustained while climbing out of a window trying to flee. Two others were treated for minor injuries at the scene, Carrasco said.

San Diego officials haven’t released details about the plane but said it was a flight from the Midwest. The flight tracking site FlightAware lists a Cessna Citation II jet scheduled to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego at 3:47 a.m. from the small Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas. Officials at the Kansas airport said it made a fueling stop in Wichita. The flight originated Wednesday night in Teterboro, New Jersey, according to FlightAware.

The airport in Teterboro is about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Manhattan and is frequently used by private and corporate jets. In the San Diego neighborhood, the smell of jet fuel lingered in the air hours after the crash while authorities worked to extinguish one stubborn car fire. They described a frightening scene in the aftermath of the crash.

“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.

Chunks of metal from the aircraft littered the street, but no discernible body of the plane could be seen. Half a dozen fully charred cars sat on the street, and tree limbs, glass and pieces of white and blue metal were scattered around. At the end of the street, black smoke billowed as a car continued to burn.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from AP)