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2 deaths after the aircraft of the military district met

2 deaths after the aircraft of the military district met

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San Diego – At least two people are dead and eight others are injured when a small aircraft crashed in Southern California and more than a dozen houses and vehicles met in a military residential area, the authorities said.

A Cessna 550 crashed on May 22nd at 3:45 a.m. near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. At the time of the incident, six people were on board the aircraft.

“At this point there were two confirmed deaths that seem to be on the plane, even though the exact number of deceased is still being determined,” said San Diego's police department in a USA today.

The emergency staff immediately reacted to the scene, extinguished several fires and supported the residents with evacuations, the police said. The authorities also searched houses in the region to search for additional potential victims and reduce remaining dangers.

According to the police, eight people were injured on site after the crash. Two people were treated for minor injuries and released at the scene, and six other medical help received.

Eliott Simpson, investigator for aviation accidents for the National Transportation Safety Board, said that the plane had left on May 21 at 11:15 p.m. from Teterboro, New Jersey, and flew to Wichita, Kansas. According to Simpson, the plane in Wichita made before he flew to San Diego.

“(The aircraft) met the power lines about two miles southeast of the airport and then collided with a house,” said Simpson at a press conference and added that the NTSB investigators will be investigated.

The morning crash damaged several houses and sprayed Jet fuel along the streets in Tierasanta, a neighborhood that is about 10 miles northeast of downtown San Diego. The neighborhood houses a large military community.

In a separate press conference, local officials said that it was surprising that the loss of life was not greater. About 100 people were evacuated from their houses in the neighborhood.

“It is a bit a miracle that they got out,” said Dan Eddy, deputy head of the San Diego deputy, from San Diego, and praised the military families who helped their neighbors to escape the burning houses.

The FAA and NTSB examine the crash. USA TODAY contacted the NTSB to get a comment.

The music of the music agency Sound Talent Group said three of its employees, including co -founder Dave Shapiro, died in the crash, reported The Associated Press, NBC News and Billboard. The agency did not identify the other two employees who had died.

“We are destroyed by the loss of our co -founder, colleagues and friends. Our hearts go to their families and to everyone who is affected by today's tragedy,” the agency told media.

Rating FAA recordings, the AP reported that Shapiro was listed as the owner of the aircraft involved in the crash and had a pilot license. Shapiros LinkedIn page also showed his pilot license and had a flight school called Velocity Aviation.

According to its website, the sound talent group, founded in 2018, is an independent music agency. The agency represents over 400 artists and has offices in New York City, Nashville and San Diego.

On May 22, the agency did not immediately respond to the request from USA Today.

Sophia Ruiz-Gonzalez visited the family in Orange County when her husband from Florida, hectic, called her. He had been awakened by notifications on the ring camera of his house – neighbors rang the doorbell and screamed: “Your house burns.”

Ruiz-Gonzalez, who lives a block downhill, from where the plane had crashed, said the neighbors described a fire that drove down the street and was set up after the car. The fuel from the plane spread the effects of the crash on this close -meshed military neighborhood.

“The side of our house burned, it melted our goal,” said Ruiz-Gonzalez. “The fuel was running along the street.”

The crash site itself smelled of sharp smoke until noon, and a lot of about 40 film crews had gathered for the charred remains of a house and several cars. Representatives of the San Diego Fire Department, the San Diego Police Department and the military, described the scene evacuated, fires were issued and houses were evacuated.

The Cessna 550 went around 3:45 a.m., said the FAA. The first call came at 3:47 a.m., said Eddy.

According to Eddy, the plane, whose route comes in the middle west, was bound to San Diego. The plane crashed from the Santo Road near the Sculpin Street. The San Diego police authority was on X.

The area is located near the Montgomery GibBS Executive Airport, and the tract in which the crash took place is managed by Liberty Military Housing.

In the area there was a thick fog when the respondents arrived at the scene, Eddy noticed. At least one house was fully involved, he added, and firefighters went home to make sure that everyone was on the go before they dedicated their attention to cars.

In the late afternoon on May 22nd, the police said that the evacuations would remain in force. When the NTSB carried out its investigation, there were still several road closures.

The police advised the residents who discover the rubble, aircraft parts or jetbrag on or near their property to contact the NTSB.

Several houses were hit directly from the plane, said Eddy, and the crash caused about 15 houses to catch fire and several vehicles. There was a broad rubble field for investigators, and families in the neighborhood “can no longer be in their houses for a while”.

“I just went and down the street myself, it looks like something from a film,” said Eddy. He said that Hazmat teams also replied.

“We have Jet fuel everywhere,” said Eddy. “And we asked for more resources.”

Several crews stayed on site and should be in the area 24 hours, said Eddy. Scott Wahl, police chief of San Diego, said that more than 50 police officers reacted to the scene to evacuate houses, to lock roads and to seek for survivors.

“I cannot give words to describe what this scene looks like when the Jet fuel goes down the street and everything on fire,” said Wahl.

The commander of Naval Base San Diego, captain Bob Heely, said the neighborhood was one of the world's largest military housing base. Heely said he was working with Liberty Military Housing and the Red Cross to offer the affected families temporary apartments.

“We actively work with all affected military families, especially in this region, because they may not be in their houses for a while,” said Heely.

Tierrasanta aircraft crash leads to the schools to be closed

The San Diego Unified school police confirmed that the crash Hancock Elementary and Miller Elementary closed for this day. In Miller, the authorities had set up an evacuation body for families whose houses were damaged or destroyed.

Both schools are less than a mile from the crash site.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

Contribution: Reuters

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