Two dead, 19 hurt after small plane crashes in southern California
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Two people died and 19 were injured after a small plane crashed through the roof of a furniture manufacturing building.
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Aerial footage of the plane that crashed into a furniture warehouse in Southern California on January 2, 2025. (Social media/X)
Two people were reported dead and 19 others injured after a small plane crashed into a furniture warehouse just minutes after taking off from a nearby airport on Thursday, reported authorities in southern California.
According to police reports, the crash occurred in the 2300 block of Raymer Avenue in Fullerton, California, not far from the Fullerton Municipal Airport.
During the time of the crash, Fullerton police said the two people who died were believed to have been inside the plane. However, the people who were injured were only working inside the building at the time. Their injuries ranged from minor to very severe. Of the injured, 11 were taken to the hospital.
A small plane crash in Fullerton, #California , has resulted in at least 11 people being injured and 1 dead after the aircraft collided with a building. pic.twitter.com/7FUeX01FBL
— Smriti Sharma (@SmritiSharma_) January 3, 2025
Elliot Simpson, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, informed reporters at a news conference that the single-engine, four-seat airplane took off from the airport shortly after 2 p.m. and ascended to 900 feet before contacting the control tower to request an immediate return.
After the pilot was cleared to land, the plane took a 180-degree turn and crashed about 1,000 feet short of the runway, crashing into a furniture warehouse and catching fire.
🇺🇸 A small #PlaneCrash in #California, USA.
— News.Az (@news_az) January 3, 2025
In the city of #Fullerton, the plane fell on a building, starting a fire.
According to local police, two people died and 18 people were injured as a result of the incident. pic.twitter.com/a7LLsaCl5i
Simpson explained that the aircraft involved was a kit-built Van's Aircraft RV-10, constructed in 2011. A kit-built aircraft is one that the owner assembles and maintains independently, with the Federal Aviation Administration inspecting it to certify it for flight. He also noted that kit-built aircraft are quite common.
The reason behind the pilot's decision to radio for a return to the airport remains unclear, but Simpson stated that authorities are continuing their investigation.
🇺🇸💥 Plane Crash Reported in Fullerton, California
— The Intel Popsicle Protector (@PopsicleProtect) January 2, 2025
A plane has crashed in Fullerton, California, with authorities responding to the scene.#USA #California #PlaneCrash #Fullerton #Emergency pic.twitter.com/WVECmIAwIS
Michael Meacham of the Fullerton Fire Department stated that the crash sparked a large fire and caused significant damage to part of the warehouse.
This incident comes amid a recent series of plane crashes. Five days ago, all but two of the 181 passengers on board the Jeju Air flight from Bangkok were presumed dead after the plane crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea, Yonhap News reported on December 29.
Before this incident, an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet with 67 people on board crashed in western Kazakhstan on December 25 after straying from its planned route. Azerbaijani authorities confirmed that 32 people survived the crash of the Embraer 190, which occurred near the city of Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the Caspian Sea’s eastern shore.
