What will be remembered as an uneventful, even pleasant weekend by residents of San Diego will be remembered quite differently by some residents of the nearby suburb of Santee. Just after the noon hour, a twin-engine Cessna 340 nose-dived to the ground, slamming into an occupied UPS van and then roaring into two nearby homes. The UPS driver was killed upon impact.
The pilot, a doctor who lived in San Diego and commuted (via his private plane) to his medical practice in Yuma, Arizona, was also declared dead at the scene. There may be some question as to whether the doctor died in the plane crash or experienced some sort of medical emergency prior to the plane taking an earthbound nosedive. An autopsy has been ordered.
One of the two residences was occupied at the time of the calamity. An older couple believed to be somewhere in the seventies was in their home at the time the aircraft ripped into their residence. They suffered burns of an unknown degree and were taken to a local medical center. As of Tuesday, they remain hospitalized with not additional specific information about their condition.
The second home struck by the aircraft was unoccupied at the time of the accident. That destroyed property was recently purchased by a newly wed couple, their first home.
An investigation is underway as to what caused the aircraft to crash into the suburban neighborhood. The investigation evidently is being headed up by the National Transportation Safety Board, a federal agency that has jurisdiction over private airplane accidents.
The plane was enroute to land at nearby Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, which is located in Dan Diego. A short time before the deadly accident, an air traffic controller alerted the aircraft in question that the plane was flying too low.
In fact, records reveal that air traffic control warned the aircraft pilot warned the plane that it was flying too low more than one time. The plane should have been at an altitude of 5,000 on its approach into the airport. In fact, the plane was only at a potentially dangerous 1,500 feet.
Witnesses to the San Diego airplane accident stated that just prior to the crash, the airplane evidently arced downward. In little time, the airplane crashed into the ground, the UPS van, and the pair of homes.
People heard the crash from several blocks beyond the immediate location of the accident. One person who observed the crash from somewhat of a distance remarked that the incident looked rather like a meteorite crashing into the neighborhood.
There is no indication as to how long the investigation into the San Diego private plan crash will take. Likewise, nothing has been released from the NTSB regarding when an update might be forthcoming from the investigation team.
UPS conducted a moment of silence at 12:14 on Tuesday on behalf of the company’s driver. The moment of silence was held precisely one hour after the crash into the San Diego suburb occurred the day prior. UPS issued a statement about the deceased driver in which it said that the man took great pride in his work and his positive attitude made even the most challenging days lighter among other employees in the workplace.
If you lost a loved one in the San Diego private plane accident, or if you’ve been injured in a similar type of airplane incident, the legal team at The Doan Law Firm is here for you. You can connect with a San Diego aircraft accident lawyer any time by calling our firm at (760) 991-0000. We can schedule an appointment with you at our offices, located at:
The Doan Law Firm
350 10th Avenue
Suite 1000
San Diego, California 92101
(760) 991-0000
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