A small plane crashed in a West Los Angeles neighborhood Friday shortly after taking off from , killing one person aboard but causing no injuries to anyone on the ground.
The pilot of the single-engine Cessna 210 radioed the Santa Monica tower at about 6:10 p.m. to declare an emergency and advised he would try to return to the airport, according to Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The plane was registered to a Santa Monica resident. It was unclear where the pilot, whose name was unavailable early Saturday, was traveling, Gregor said.
UPDATE:
The four-place, high-wing plane with retractable landing gear crashed in the 2100 block of South Glendon Avenue a short time later, about three miles northeast of the airport. The aircraft broke into several pieces, with the bulk of the wreckage bursting into flames at the base of a palm tree that burned to its trunk.
One person was found dead in the wreckage.
"It was very fortunate that the plane did not hit a house, and that there were no injuries to residents," said Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Andy Fox.
He said that a firefighter was already on the scene due to an unrelated traffic accident, so crews were able to respond right away and put the fire out quickly.
Guy Cohen was driving by the intersection of South Glendon Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard when "the plane jut blew up in smoke," he said.
He said the plane appeared to be flying in a gradual decline until it hit the tree.
A man who said he was driving in the area shortly before the crash told NBC4 he noticed a small plane flying abnormally low.
"I didn't hear any abnormal engine noise," the man said, adding that he saw no signs of distress in the way the plane was flying, other than the fact is was "extremely" low.
"It was a red flag immediately," he said.
Another witness told the station the plane appeared to clip the top of a dead palm tree and crash to the ground.
The crash will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
"We found some remnants of the wings and the tail section," said Los Angeles Police Department Cmmdr. Bill Scott.
On Aug. 29 of last year, a student pilot broke his leg and injured a man on the ground when he crashed a single-engine Cessna into a home near 21st and Navy in Santa Monica after taking off from .
The accident was the first known to have involved a student pilot directly associated with a Santa Monica-based flight school.
Start planning now; you have three years until your job at SMO is eliminated by the local citizenry. By then, the economy should be on a firm path of recovery from 8 years of Republican credit card charges. Your skills can be utilized at numerous Goodwills in the area.
Perhaps we should close the 10 and the 405 because people die there too. Close the beaches: people drown there. Ban matches-no more fires. The utter selfishness and rank stupidity and the faulty 'logic' of those who want to close the airport because of these rare tragedies is exceeded only by the irony that this pilot victim would have selflessly served any of you had you needed his help.
All that said, my greatest concern is the leaded fuel that these small planes use. That lead pollution rains down on our westside neighborhoods, playgrounds, back yards and parks -- places where my growing child plays. I can't stand the thought that my baby is exposed to lead pollution because a few people want to circle around in their planes. Unacceptable!
If you ooh a week of from flying, we would spend a moment thinking about the lost life. Until then, good riddance.
The airport operations should close in 2015 when the lease is up. The airport (SMO) operates at a lose and the tax payers are paying for the many of pilots that don't live in the area. The locals deal with this kind of fear that a plane could land on their homes everyday. This accident is another example of why this airport should be closed for good. The huge increase in jet traffic and flight schools add to the probability of another crash or the many near misses that go on charted. Thanks all you pilots that always have to play the "who was their first and the freeway nonsense" We are not buying it. Sorry Pilot
On which planet YOU are living? The difference between car and aircraft is that aircraft has no breaks, has no muffler and has no converter. It is unsafe, it is noisy and it pollutes the environment (leaded fuel if you do not know). Such anachronism must be forbidden in so densely populated area. I wish to see what you would think if aircraft will crash into your backyard in flames! Would you forgive it on the base that so many people dead by car accidents? Sergey
And what does the character of the pilot victim have to do with the suitabiity of an aitport's location in a populated area? As to closing freeways because "people die there too" this is not about closing SMO because people die there, it's because it's endangering the people who LIVE there.
Words fail me...
As for the local residents who chose to move next to an existing airport, well, you did know about the airport; As a San Diego resident who flies into metro LA on a regular basis, Santa Monica is an essential destination for many business purposes. Local residents must learn how to work with this essential airport. If you neglected to research Santa Monica airport or it's impact on your personal lifestyle before you moved here than you should just get used to it. As a California resident, I will do everything within my power to keep Santa Monica airport up and running.
BTW, One company I deal with in Santa Monica that employs close to 50 people has already told me they will relocate to another airport area if SMO were to close, as their business requires access to a GA airport. So Business's in SM would be impacted as well.