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At least five people have been reported dead after an airplane crashed at a CVS parking lot in Orange County this Sunday, as reported by the Orange County Fire Authority. The plane went down in the 3900 block of Bristol Street in Santa Ana, with the Costa Mesa Fire Department appearing on the scene.
What happened?
According to NBC Los Angeles, it has been confirmed that all five victims who lost their lives were passengers on the plane; the following information was also given concerning the plane involved:
“The 1973 Cessna 414 fixed wing aircraft is registered to Category III Aviation Corp in San Francisco, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.”
According to USA Today, Capt. Tony Bommarito of the Orange County Fire Authority confirmed that nobody on the ground was injured during the plane crash. At least one car on the ground was hit by airplane parts. The parking lot where the crash took place includes a Staples, a CVS drug store and a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, meaning that the area could have easily been congested at the time of the crash.
An eye-witness described the crash as being near ‘silent’
An eyewitness to the crash, identified as Ella Pham, gave the following account to the same publication:
“It actually came down in front of us. We looked up and we just saw a plane fall. It lost control and it just fell straight down. It didn’t even look like it was trying to land.”
“There was no fire, no flames, no smoke, nothing. It was almost silent.”
According to NBC Los Angeles, the flight tower at a nearby John Wayne Airport gave approval for the aircraft to land at one of its runways after the plane’s pilot declared an emergency, before ultimately crashing.
At this time, the Federal Aviation Administration, or “FAA,” and the National Transportation Safety Board, or “NTSB,” are both investigating the crash.
As this story is developing, more information will be updated as made available.
