Plane crashes, bursts into flames at San Diego airport runway, 2 killed

A plane crashed on the runway at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego, California, killing two people on Monday evening (Sep 7), according to the San Diego Police Department. The moment the plane crashed it became fully engulfed in flames. About 30 personnel with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department were at the scene responding to the incident. In the meantime, the airport was temporarily closed during emergency operations, San Diego Fire Department wrote on X.

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What fire officials said about the cause of the fire?

Briefing on the incident, San Diego Fire official said that the plane was still in the crash location. The official said he does not have the information on whether it was taken off or landing but confirmed that it was a small plane and a small fire. “We're still working on an active fuel leak. When the plane crashed, the plane was heavily damaged. There was active fuel leaking and burning, so we extinguished the fire, and there is still a small fuel leak. It is not spreading anywhere else. But that is something that we will work with -- airport personnel on the cleanup of the plane -- fuel.” He said that currently STPD is holding the scene for investigation. When asked about the reopening of the airport, he said, “We're also working with Montgomery Field Airport personnel on the cleanup of the jet fuel, so they have a contractor en route to make sure that the fuel is properly cleaned up. Assuming once that's cleaned up, then they reopen the airport. They will reopen the airport based on NTSB recommendations and whatever they have to do.”

Explaining about the location, he said that the crash happened in the middle of the runway. “So there were no exposures or no danger of anything else catching fire,” he said, adding: “So like I said, that's been extinguished and now we're working on a small fuel leak that will need to be cleaned up.”

On the same day, another plane made a hard landing in the Montgomery County Airpark airport in Maryland. Two crew members were stuck but they were rescued without injuries.

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