Two individuals were killed Thursday afternoon when an airplane crashed on the runway at Santa Monica Airport.
The Santa Monica Fire Department reports that the collision happened at 4:25 p.m. in the 3300 block of Donald Douglas Loop.
A news release from the local fire department states that a single-engine Piper Sport plane owned by a local flight school crashed and caught fire.
In spite of the fire brigade’s efforts, both passengers were killed despite the blaze being put out in 1 minute and 39 seconds.
The plane “was on approach when it touched down, made a sharp upward turn, and crashed in the infield,” the announcement read.
At a press conference on Thursday night, Fire Chief Danny Alvarez described the incident as a “tragic accident.”
Alvarez remarked, “Our hearts go out to the loved ones of the victims.”
There was a huge, dark plume of smoke seen rising from the airport on dash cam footage.
Fire officials said that there was “no concern to the surrounding residential neighborhood,” but the airport is presently closed to all air traffic until an expected reopening on Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement saying that they, along with the National Transportation Safety Board, will be conducting an investigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) “will be in charge of the investigation and will give subsequent information,” according to the statement. At the conclusion of their investigation, the FAA will post the confirmed aircraft registration number here (often the following business day). If you know the plane’s tail number, you can find it here. Neither agency recognizes people involved in aircraft accidents.”
