A small plane crashed and caught fire at Van Nuys Airport on Wednesday morning, killing two individuals on board.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash was reported at 10:37 a.m., and responders put out the fire immediately after arriving at the site in the 16300 block of Waterman Drive.
“Fire crews quickly extinguished the flames, but, sadly, both occupants on board were found to be deceased,” the LAFD noted.
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A heavy column of smoke rose from the region, according to footage provided by the Citizen app.
Aerial footage captured by Sky5 showed a large amount of fire retardant around the scorched aircraft.
The victims have not been named, and the reason of the crash is unknown, but preliminary evidence indicates the aircraft was a single-engine CSA SportCruiser, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into it.
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The plane was in the air for around 14 minutes and had a flight earlier in the morning without incident, according to the station.
LAFD Captain Erik Scott said during a news conference at the airport Wednesday afternoon that the plane impacted the ground “nose first” in a “very high impact” crash.
Firefighters from a local fire station arrived promptly and used foam to extinguish the powerful flames caused by aviation gasoline, according to Scott.
According to Airport Police Captain Karla Rodriguez, an airport police officer spotted the crash from a short distance away.
Runway 16-R was blocked for roughly 30 minutes, while Runway 16-L remained open, according to Rodriguez, who added that no substantial disruptions to airport operations occurred.
On tower communications, the pilot stated that the plane was “having some power loss,” but declined fire help because “we are landing right now.”
The tower later advises the pilot that he is free to land on any runway and inquires about the nature of his emergency, but the response is unclear. After a brief yell, the tower can be heard saying, “We’re on the phone with the crash people right now.”
Later, the tower announced that all runways were closed indefinitely and advised other pilots to land at neighbouring Burbank or Whiteman airports.
