Small Plane Crash in Southern California Kills 2, Injures 19 at Furniture Factory

Small Plane Crash in Southern California

At least two people were killed and 19 others injured in a devastating explosion on Thursday after a small plane crashed into a furniture manufacturing facility in Southern California, moments after taking off from a nearby airport.

The four-seat aircraft crashed into the building on Raymer Avenue, near Fullerton Municipal Airport in Orange County, around 2 p.m. The site is located approximately 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

Benjamin Torrez, a 57-year-old employee who helps load furniture onto trucks, was wrapping up his shift when he and his colleagues heard a loud crash followed by screams. Torrez rushed outside to witness a harrowing scene: a plane ablaze in flames, while several coworkers desperately tried to extinguish flames on three or four workers who had been burned.

“We know most people here, but not all of them well,” Torrez said. “Many were badly burned.” He added, “I was scared.”

Authorities estimate that as many as 300 people were evacuated from the building, which was severely damaged by both the crash and subsequent fire. Nineteen individuals were treated for injuries, some of whom were transported to nearby hospitals, according to Mike Meacham, deputy chief of the Fullerton Fire Department.

The identities of the two victims who died in the crash have not been disclosed, and it remains unclear whether they were passengers on the plane. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that the plane had ascended to 900 feet before the pilot reported an emergency and attempted to return to the airport.

The pilot made a sharp left turn to reverse course but crashed into the facility, approximately 1,000 feet from the runway. NTSB investigator Eliott Simpson stated that the pilot did not communicate any mechanical issues before the crash. Surveillance footage obtained by local TV stations captured the moment of impact, showing a massive fireball as the plane struck the building’s roof. Thick black smoke billowed from the hole left in the roof in aerial footage.

The aircraft involved was a Van’s RV-10, a popular experimental kit plane. Built in 2011, the plane was registered to a resident of Huntington Beach, California, though they were unavailable for comment. The NTSB has not yet determined the plane’s destination, though it is believed that weather conditions did not contribute to the crash.

The Fullerton Municipal Airport has seen several accidents over the years. In November, a plane that had taken off from the airport made an emergency landing and crashed into a tree, injuring two people. In 1995, the airport faced scrutiny after a plane attempting to land crashed into a townhouse complex, resulting in the deaths of two people on board and one resident inside the building.