A Cessna Citation 550 business jet crashed on approach to a small airport in San Diego, California on 22 May, killing multiple passengers and setting houses ablaze.
The US Federal Aviation Administration says that a privately owned Citation 550 crashed near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego around 03:45, noting that the “number of people on board is unknown at this time”.
The San Diego Police Department confirms “multiple fatalities” and one hospitalisation as a result of the fiery crash, which reportedly set as many as 15 homes on fire. The crash has displaced about 100 people, local officials say.
The neighbourhood is expected to be closed “all day” while the FAA investigates, say police that are urging residents to call the city if they find aircraft debris or jet fuel on their properties.
The US National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.
Foggy conditions were reported in the area on the morning of 22 May. The aircraft, N666DS, was inbound from Wichita, Kansas, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
Last year, a Citation 550 was involved in a fatal accident in which the business failed to gain more than 10ft of elevation before striking powerlines and a restaurant near a Texas airfield, killing the pilot and one passenger. That crash also started residential fires.
