Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Plane Breaks Apart Over California Neighborhood, 5 Killed
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
February 4, 2019

Share

YORBA LINDA — Five people died and two were injured after a small plane apparently broke apart Sunday over a Southern California suburb, raining debris on a neighborhood and setting a house on fire, authorities said.
Four people in the house that burned in the city of Yorba Linda were killed, along with the pilot, who was the only person in the twin-engine plane, Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Cory Martino told reporters.

Four people in the house that burned in the city of Yorba Linda were killed, along with the pilot, who was the only person in the twin-engine plane, Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Cory Martino told reporters.
Martino said the dead occupants of the home were two males and two females but did not provide other information about them.
The Cessna 414A that can carry up to eight people took off from the Fullerton Municipal Airport about 12 miles west of the blaze, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.
According to preliminary radar data, the plane reached an altitude of about 7,800 feet and then made a rapid descent, said Eliott Simpson, an aviation accident investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The debris field spanned about four blocks, he said.
The main cabin of the airplane and one engine came to rest at the bottom of a ravine in the backyard of a house and the other engine landed on a street, creating a hole, Simpson said.

Crash Sent Panicked Neighbors Into the Streets

“During the impact sequence one house caught fire and that’s where we have the four fatalities,” he said.
It was not immediately clear what set the two-story house ablaze. The property where the fuselage ended about three houses down from the home that burned.
Aerial footage from news helicopters showed plane parts, including side panels and a propeller, scattered on rooftops and driveways near the burned house.
The crash sent panicked neighbors into the streets.
“It was a boom. It sounded like something exploded. It shook our house,” said John Wolbart, who lives a block away.
He said he ran to the burning house and saw a woman come out with singed hair.
The wounded were taken to a hospital with burns, said Pokey Sanchez, an assistant chief with the Orange County Fire Authority. A firefighter was also treated for a minor injury.
Clint Langford, who lives about a half-mile away, said he was in his living room when he heard a low rumbling.
“It’s the eerie, low rumbling sound that keeps getting lower and louder. It was scary,” he said. “And then all of a sudden boom. It shook the house.”

Rain Helps Firefighters Extinguish the House Fire

He looked out his front door and could see plane parts falling out the sky in the distance.
Pat Rogers, who lives about a mile from the crash site, told the Orange County Register he saw the plane on fire and coming apart.

Video posted on Twitter showed panicked residents running to the house as it became engulfed in flames and dark smoke. One man used a garden house to douse a burning wing that landed on the street.
Video posted on Twitter showed panicked residents running to the house as it became engulfed in flames and dark smoke. One man used a garden house to douse a burning wing that landed on the street.
Rain from a winter storm helped firefighters extinguish the house fire.
The National Transportation and Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.
Simpson said it will take some time to determine the maintenance history of the aircraft, which was built in 1981.
Representatives of the manufacturers of the airframe and engines were expected on the scene Monday.
The wreckage will be transported to Phoenix, Arizona, for a forensic examination, Simpson said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Signs Proclamation Banning Travel From 12 Countries, CBS News Reports

DON'T MISS

Sunnyvale Pitmaster Smokes Fresno BBQ Competition for Golden Ticket to World Championships

DON'T MISS

What We Know About the Colorado Attack on Israeli Hostage Demonstrators

DON'T MISS

Visalia Motorists Take Note: Traffic Shift Coming to Riggin Avenue

DON'T MISS

Really, Secretary Rubio? I’m Lying About the Kids Dying Under Trump?

DON'T MISS

Judge Denies Release in Caleb Quick Killing. Defense Cites Alleged Assaults by Victim

DON'T MISS

Nebraska Is the Latest State to Ban Transgender Students From Girls’ Sports

DON'T MISS

US Vetoes UN Security Council Resolution Demanding an Immediate Gaza Ceasefire

DON'T MISS

International Basketball Comes to Fresno: Armenia vs. Costa Rica

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: A New Research Hub in Southeast Fresno?

UP NEXT

Suspect Arrested in Connection With Deadly California Fertility Clinic Bombing

UP NEXT

US Sees No Viable Path for California High-Speed Rail Project, May Rescind $4 Billion

UP NEXT

US Judge Dismisses California’s Tariff Lawsuit, Teeing up Appeal

UP NEXT

Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention

UP NEXT

California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

UP NEXT

California Inmate Gets Five Years for Role in Drone Drug Smuggling Scheme

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens California With Fines After Trans Athlete Wins Girls’ State Titles

UP NEXT

Trump Amplifies Outlandish Robot Biden Conspiracy Theory

UP NEXT

Trans Athlete in Political Storm Earns, and Shares, First Place in Event

UP NEXT

California Plans to Ban Most Plants Within 5 Feet of Homes for Wildfire Safety

Visalia Motorists Take Note: Traffic Shift Coming to Riggin Avenue

8 hours ago

Really, Secretary Rubio? I’m Lying About the Kids Dying Under Trump?

8 hours ago

Judge Denies Release in Caleb Quick Killing. Defense Cites Alleged Assaults by Victim

8 hours ago

Nebraska Is the Latest State to Ban Transgender Students From Girls’ Sports

8 hours ago

US Vetoes UN Security Council Resolution Demanding an Immediate Gaza Ceasefire

8 hours ago

International Basketball Comes to Fresno: Armenia vs. Costa Rica

10 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: A New Research Hub in Southeast Fresno?

11 hours ago

Fresno’s Southeast Plan Has a $2.2B Price Tag for Phase 1. Can the City Afford It?

12 hours ago

Trump: Putin Said Russia Would Respond to Ukraine Drone Attacks

12 hours ago

It’s Expensive to Become a Teacher in California. This Bill Would Pay Those Who Try

12 hours ago

Trump Signs Proclamation Banning Travel From 12 Countries, CBS News Reports

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation banning travel from certain countries, CBS News reported on Wednesday, citing administrati...

5 hours ago

5 hours ago

Trump Signs Proclamation Banning Travel From 12 Countries, CBS News Reports

6 hours ago

Sunnyvale Pitmaster Smokes Fresno BBQ Competition for Golden Ticket to World Championships

7 hours ago

What We Know About the Colorado Attack on Israeli Hostage Demonstrators

8 hours ago

Visalia Motorists Take Note: Traffic Shift Coming to Riggin Avenue

8 hours ago

Really, Secretary Rubio? I’m Lying About the Kids Dying Under Trump?

Fresno clovis caleb quick
8 hours ago

Judge Denies Release in Caleb Quick Killing. Defense Cites Alleged Assaults by Victim

8 hours ago

Nebraska Is the Latest State to Ban Transgender Students From Girls’ Sports

8 hours ago

US Vetoes UN Security Council Resolution Demanding an Immediate Gaza Ceasefire

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend