Two people were killed, and 18 others were injured Thursday after a single-engine plane crashed into a furniture manufacturing building located near a small airport in Fullerton, California.
Authorities said there were at least 200 people working in the building in Southern California when the small plane appeared to strike the infrastructure within two minutes since it took off from the Fullerton Municipal Airport in Orange County.
Flight tracker FlightAware data showed that a plane left the small airport at 2:07 p.m. and its flight ended at 2:09 p.m. Thursday, which was also the same time local police were notified about a crash in the area.
Kristy Wells, a spokeswoman for the Fullerton Police Department, said 10 people were transported to the hospital while the remaining eight were treated on the scene. Some of the injuries were severe, police said.
Security footage provided by nearby wheel manufacturer Rucci Forged showed the moment the plane struck the building, triggering a huge explosion. When zoomed in, the footage showed that the plane appeared to be tilted on its side before making an impact on the factory’s roof. Bright flames and thick, dark smoke can also be seen from the crash site.
Over a hundred people were evacuated from inside the building. Firefighters and rescue teams helped extinguish the fire.
It is unclear why the plane crashed into the building, but Chris Villalobos, an airport operations worker, revealed that the aircraft’s owner was a regular at the airport.
He added that the plane’s pilot had informed air traffic control he had to make an emergency landing and will turn around. Details about the aircraft’s issues before the supposed communication with air traffic control are scant.
It is also unclear how many people were onboard the Van’s RV-10 aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the crash.
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