Plane crashes and explodes on busy LA freeway

Plane crashes and explodes on busy LA freeway

Two people were injured after a small plane crashed on a freeway near a Southern California airport on Friday, a fire official said.

The twin-engine Cessna 310 aircraft landed on Interstate 405, just short of runway 20R at John Wayne Airport in Costa Mesa around 9.30am, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Orange County Fire Capt Larry Kurtz said two people - a man and a woman in their 50s and 60s - were aboard the plane when it crashed and were taken to a local hospital with 'traumatic injuries'. 

Gregor said shortly after the fixed-wing plane left John Wayne Airport, the pilot declared an emergency and tried to return.

In an online recording of air traffic control radio communicatio ns, the male pilot can be heard yelling: 'We have a mayday! We have a mayday!

'I'm trying to get a little altitude. I just lost my right engine!'

Scroll down for video 

Two people were injured after a small plane crashed on a freeway near a Southern California airport on Friday, a fire official said

The Cessna 310 aircraft landed on Interstate 405, just short of a runway at John Wayne Airport in Costa Mesa around 9.30am, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Orange County Fire Capt Larry Kurtz said two people - a man and a woman in their 50s and 60s - were aboard the plane when it crashed and were taken to a local hospital with 'traumatic injuries'. Officials said shortly after the plane left John Wayne Airport, the pilot soon declared an emergency and tried to return

Gregor said the crash is still being investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and some circumstances surrounding it remain 'unknown'.

The Cessna 310, which was manufactured in 1975, was registered two days ago to Twin Props LLC in Santa Ana, according to FAA records.

The six-seat plane clipped a blue pickup truck as it crashed on the freeway, but the driver suffered only a bruised elbow, Kurtz said.

'The fact that a plane was able to land and only strike a single vehic le is extraordinary,' Kurtz said.

Video posted on social media showed the plane engulfed in flames and plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky.

Shocking video showing the moment the plane (left) crashed was shared on social media. The plane is seen flying low over the interstate before it slammed into the road and burst into flames (right)

The Cessna 310 (pictured) was registered two days ago, June 28, to a limited-liability corporation in Santa Ana, according to FAA records 

Traffic was backed up for miles on the major route between Los Angeles and San Diego as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze.

'The plane collided, spun across the freeway and burst into flames,' Kurtz said. The wreckage strewn across several lanes of the freeway, he said.

The pickup truck's driver, Blackstone Hamilton, told KCBS-TV he initially though a large truck had slammed into the back of his car and then he saw flames quickly surrounding his vehicle. He checked to make sure his passenger was safe before pulling over on the side of the freeway.

'We have each other a hug that we were still alive,' Hamilton told the station. 

Hamilton 's blue Toyota Tacoma was left severely damaged. 

Tina Foster had just left the John Wayne Airport when she heard a loud boom, which she initially thought was a car crash.

'By the time I got up to it the only thing I saw was the flames,' she said.

Foster posted a photo of smoke pouring out from behind the airport on Facebook to calm her friends' fears after receiving texts asking if she were still alive, she said.

Another driver, Brian Gladish, said he was driving down the freeway when he saw a large cloud of smoke and flames.

'There was debris everywhere, the freeway was still on fire,' he said.

Tina Foster had just left the John Wayne Airport when she heard a loud boom, which she initially thought was a car crash. 'By the time I got up to it the only thing I saw was the flames,' she said. Foster posted a photo of smoke pouring out from behind the airport on Facebook to calm her friends' fears after receiving texts asking if she were still alive, she said

The plane clipped a car as it crashed but the driver wasn't seriously injured. The driver of the car suffered a 'bruised elbow'

The Cessna 310, which was manufactured in 1975, was registered two days ago to Twin Props LLC in Santa Ana, according to FAA records

Shocking video showing the moment the plane crashed was shared on social media. The plane is seen flying low over the interstate before it slammed into the road.

A person captured the video from inside their car as the plane slid down the opposite side of the highway and burst into flames. 

Officials at the John Wayne Airport closed the airfield to arrivals for about 45 minutes Friday morning. Departures were not affected.

'JWA recommends that travelers continue to check with their airlines for the most current flight status,' airport authorities tweeted Friday afternoon. 

The plane's wreckage will not be moved until it is examined by federal invest igators.

The investigation caused severe traffic congestion in the area ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Photos showed a long a backup of traffic along the interstate. The investigation caused severe traffic congestion in the area ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend

The crash is still being investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the circumstances surrounding it remain 'unknown'

Rescue crews surrounded the aircraft as they worked to put out the flames 

The Cessna 310 (file image) is an American six-seat, low-wing, twin-engine monoplane that was produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engine aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II

قالب وردپرس

Tweet

Subscribe to receive free email updates: