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Plane Crashes in California Parking Lot, Killing 5

A small plane mysteriously crashed into a shopping center parking lot in Santa Ana, California, killing all 4 passengers and the pilot. Probable cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Small plane crashes in California parking lot 3 photos
Photo: EPA
Small plane crashes in California parking lotSmall plane crashes in California parking lot
The Los Angeles Times reports that the pilot of the two-engine Cessna sent a distress signal for an emergency right before the crash, but he didn’t specify its nature. The flight had been uneventful until that moment. Eyewitnesses saw the plane make a turn and then go straight to the ground, nose-down.

There was no explosion upon impact, but the plane fell on a red Chevrolet sedan and damaged 3 other cars in the parking lot. Luckily, all vehicles were empty at the time and their drivers inside the shopping center.

When emergency responders arrived on the scene, all 5 occupants of the plane were dead. Footage posted to social media showed the wreck of the plane, with at least 1 body outside.

“The plane looks like it came almost straight down into the ground. One car was destroyed. But the owner of that car was in the store shopping at the time,”
Cpt. Tony Bommarito with the Orange County Fire Authority says. “Overall, it could’ve been worse. It wasn’t much devastation [on the ground] other than the actual plane crash.”

The plane was listed to a real estate consulting company in San Francisco, Category III Aviation Corp., and was traveling from San Francisco to John Wayne Airport, which is situated about a mile from the crash site. The 4 passengers worked for a real estate company in San Francisco and were presumably on a business trip.

The cause of the crash remains unknown as of the time of writing. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident and will announce updates in due time.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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