2 killed, 8 injured after small plane crashes in neighbourhood in San Diego

IANS May 23, 2025 394 views

A devastating small plane crash in San Diego's Tierrasanta neighborhood resulted in two fatalities and eight injuries early Thursday morning. The Cessna jet crashed into a military housing complex, causing significant damage to approximately 10 buildings and sparking multiple fires. Local authorities evacuated around 100 residents and worked with military housing management to provide temporary shelter. Federal agencies like the FAA and NTSB are set to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

"We have jet fuel all over the place." - Dan Eddy, San Diego Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief
Los Angeles, May 23: At least two people were killed and eight others were injured after a small plane crashed into a neighbourhood in US southwestern city of San Diego, authorities said.

Key Points

1

Cessna jet crashed near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport early Thursday

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100 residents evacuated from military housing complex

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Fires sparked in multiple residences and vehicles

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FAA and NTSB to investigate crash

The incident took place early Thursday morning.

The crash occurred around 3:45 a.m. local time in a military housing complex in the Tierrasanta neighbourhood, local officials said.

The crash site is a little more than 2 miles east of Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.

Police said they believed no one on the ground was killed but could not immediately confirm that.

The San Diego Police Department said in a post on X that the crash also damaged around 10 buildings in the neighbourhood.

Local officials confirmed that the small plane, a Cessna jet, crashed into the Murphy Canyon neighbourhood just before 4 a.m. local time.

The crash sparked fires in multiple residences and vehicles, Dan Eddy, assistant chief of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, told the media.

"We have jet fuel all over the place. We have hazmat on scene right now, and we've asked for more resources to come for that," Eddy said.

Eddy said that all of the fatalities were on the plane, which could hold up to 10 people.

Officials do not yet know how many were on board.

About 100 local residents were evacuated following the crash. Officials confirmed that the affected residences were military housing units.

The tract where the crash occurred is managed by Liberty Military Housing, officials said.

"We are actively working with all military families affected, specifically within this region, because they may be out of their homes for a while," said Captain Bob Heely, commanding officer of Naval Base San Diego.

Heely said he was working with Liberty Military Housing and the Red Cross to provide temporary housing to the affected families.

"As you can see, the damage behind us is incredibly significant, was life-threatening, and thank God nobody on the ground was killed," Raul Campillo, a member of the San Diego City Council, said at a news conference near the crash site.

The crash will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Reader Comments

Here are 6 diverse Indian perspective comments for the news article:
P
Priya K.
Tragic incident 😔. While we hear about plane crashes in India too, this shows aviation safety needs global attention. Thank God no residents were killed - military families have enough to deal with already. Hope affected families get proper support.
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Rahul S.
Small planes crashing in residential areas is becoming too common worldwide. In India we've seen similar incidents in Bangalore and Mumbai. Authorities need stricter regulations on flight paths near neighborhoods. Safety first!
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Anjali M.
My heart goes out to the victims' families. The mention of jet fuel everywhere is concerning - hope the environmental impact is properly addressed. In India we often see negligence in such cleanup operations after accidents.
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Vikram P.
Why was a plane flying over residential area at 4am? Seems suspicious. Hope investigation reveals the truth. In India, DGCA would have grounded all similar aircraft immediately after such incident - US should do same pending investigation.
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Neha T.
The response seems well coordinated with military housing, Red Cross etc. We could learn from this in India - our disaster response is often chaotic. But 100 people evacuated is no small matter, hope they get proper temporary accommodation.
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Sanjay R.
Cessna jets have good safety record generally. This makes me wonder about pilot error or mechanical failure. In either case, aviation authorities worldwide need to review small aircraft maintenance protocols. Safety can't be compromised, be it in US or India.

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Tags:
San Diego Plane Crash Aviation Accident Military Housing Tierrasanta Neighborhood Cessna Crash