A plane crashed Wednesday, July 30, into a parking lot of a San Diego shopping mall near an airport, killing one woman and injuring another.
According to USA Today, the single-engine Mooney M-20L crashed around 5:30 p.m. near Montgomery Field. Police Lt. Steve Behrendt said the aircraft flew on top of a Target store and knocked down a light pole before landing in a parking lot for Costco and Target.
Los Angeles Times reported that Lee Swanson, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman, said the only passenger, 80, suffered from serious burns and died at the scene. The pilot, 52, was also seriously injured and sent to a hospital. The pilot’s injury condition was not released.
Two witnesses who tried to save the pilot suffered minor cuts and burns, Swanson said.
UTSanDiego reported that Vince Carter, a pilot who was at the airport during the time, heard the pilot of the crashed plane saying on tower traffic control radio that the plane lost power and was going down.
“It happened extremely fast,” Carter said.
Swanson also said that the plane did not hit anything while landing.
“The pilot did a great job of bringing it down away from buildings and cars,” Swanson said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
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