Multiple people on private plane that crashed into San Diego neighborhood are dead, authorities say

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KABC) — Multiple people were killed when a small plane crashed in a San Diego neighborhood early Thursday, spewing jet fuel and igniting a large fire that burned least 15 homes and multiple cars, fire officials said.

One person was hospitalized and two others were treated and released, according to the San Diego Police Department.

All the fatalities appear to be from the plane itself, San Diego Assistant Fire Chief of Emergency Operations Dan Eddy said at a press conference. None were immediately identified.

Officials do not yet know how many people were aboard the plane.

Eddy described the crash site as being “like a movie scene.” Video from AIR7 confirmed that assessment, showing several burned-out vehicles parked near homes that were severely damaged.

Multiple elementary schools were closed for the day due to the crash, according to officials.

More than 100 people were displaced as a result of the crash. Murphy Canyon, the neighborhood where the crash happened, is one of largest military housing units in the world, according to San Diego Naval Base Commanding Officer Capt. Robert Heely.

Speaking at a press conference, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said the city “will be supporting these families who are impacted here. They’re part of the military community that makes up our city.”

Responders were searching for victims and parts of the plane as the response continued. The plane that crashed can hold eight to 10 people, including the pilot, but it’s unclear how many were on board.

Some victims were treated for minor injuries at the scene, according to Eddy.

“I can’t quite put words to describe what this 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 for the police officers and firefighters to run in there, start trying to evacuate people out of the way, and doing anything and everything they could to try to save somebody’s life is really heroic,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a press conference.

Residents were evacuated to a nearby school and officials will be going home to home to find out if there is anybody inside, Eddy said.

“I was half-asleep and I saw a flash at the window and heard a bang,” said Jennifer Hoffman, who lives a couple blocks from the crash. “I thought it was lightning to be honest, I even checked the weather to see if it was raining out. And then I heard like bunches of pops and I was like, ‘That can’t be lightning.’ I went downstairs, I checked outside and I saw the neighborhood behind us was bright red. It was awful.”

The plane directly hit multiple homes and cars, setting them ablaze, before running down the street, Eddy said.

The small private jet crashed seconds before landing at about 3:45 am. local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The plane was flying from Wichita, Kansas, to San Diego’s Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport when it crashed. It was roughly 500 feet in the air at its last radar check-in, according to the FAA.

“A Cessna 550 crashed near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in California, around 3:45 a.m.local time on Thursday, May 22. The number of people on board is unknown at this time,” the FAA said in a statement.

There was no mayday call before this crash. The last communication was the pilot announcing on the radio that he was 3 miles out and landing. The tower was closed at the time, in accordance with standard procedure.