A small plane crashed through a fence and hit a car during a failed takeoff at an Arizona airport on Tuesday, killing five people, officials said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that the crash occurred at Falcon Field Airport in Mesa around 4:40 p.m., and identified the plane as a Honda HA-420 jet. According to On CNN.
“According to preliminary information, the plane collided with the airport perimeter fence and a passenger vehicle during an aborted takeoff,” an NTSB official told the program.
Five people died in the accident, said Mesa Fire and Medical Department spokeswoman Marisa Ramirez Ramos. At one point, the plane was engulfed in flames, 12News KPNX reported.
Five people were killed when an HA-420 Honda jet crashed during takeoff from Runway 22R at Falcon Field Airport in Mesa, Arizona.
The aircraft reportedly aborted takeoff but was unable to stop and overran the end of the runway.
NTSB, FAA, Mesa Fire and Medical Department, and… pic.twitter.com/keqLHYdJfw
— Aviation News & Video Breaking (@aviationbrk) November 6, 2024
“There were five people on board the aircraft,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement to CNN. “The aircraft collided with a vehicle outside the airport grounds.”(Related: 3 killed in Oregon plane crash, 5-alarm fire leaves thousands without power)
“This afternoon, our community suffered a tragic loss when a plane took off from Falcon Field in Mesa and struck a vehicle on Greenfield Road. Preliminary information available at this time “The NTSB, FAA, Mesa Fire and Medical Department, and the Mesa Police Department are assisting in the investigation of this incident,” the Mesa Police Department (MPD) told The Daily Caller. said in a statement.
The dead included four of the five people on board the plane, as well as the driver of the car that crashed. The only surviving passenger on the plane is currently “hospitalized with burn injuries,” the statement said.
Police identified the deceased as Spencer Lindahl, 43, Rustin Randall, 48, Drew Kimball, 44, and Graham Kimball, 12. Police are not releasing the name of the driver of the car as they are still conducting identification.
The impact of the accident on the local community continued into Wednesday morning. “Greenfield remains closed in both directions from McKellips to McDowell. All other traffic is open. Officers are letting people into work if they work in areas that are closed.” police posted on social media.
Latest information on traffic conditions due to last night’s plane crash. Greenfield remains closed to traffic in both directions from McKellips to McDowell. All other traffic is open. If you are working in an area that is closed off, officers will let people into the work site. pic.twitter.com/84baax2nT7
— Mesa Police Department (@MesaPD) November 6, 2024
“[The pilot] I got over that depression. I think he went through a metal gate fence that they were putting up, went through some concrete walls and then went down the road,” Joshua Ghorabi, the pilot and a witness to the crash, told 12News KPNX told. “I was just getting on the plane and about to leave when I heard a crackling sound and saw smoke rising.”
“This is very unpleasant and serves as a reminder to all pilots to always fly and operate as safely as possible,” Ghorabi added.
“Aviation is a difficult industry, and I just pray for the survivors and their families,” fellow pilot Tre Franklin told the magazine.
