10-seater private Learjet goes down in flames near San Diego with no survivors on board after it ‘clipped power lines’ and disintegrated on impact: 2,500 are left without power on the ground
- Doorbell camera vid shows the Learjet 35A hurtling towards the ground before a flash of light erupts across the clouded sky as it explodes in El Cajon, CA
- The jet, flying out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County, crashed in the area of Pepper Drive and North 2nd Street, at around 7.15pm Monday
- San Diego Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Krugh said it smashed into power line and exploded
- Fire crews said that they were unable to find survivors – jet totally destroyed
- The crash has caused a blackout for some 2,500 customers in the area
A 10-seater private jet has gone down in flames near San Diego after smashing into a power line – with no survivors expected after the plane was completely obliterated.
Doorbell camera footage shows the Learjet 35A hurtling towards the ground before a flash of light erupts across the clouded sky as it explodes in El Cajon, California.
The jet, flying out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County, crashed in the area of Pepper Drive and North 2nd Street, at around 7.15pm Monday.
San Diego Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Krugh told The San Diego Union Tribune the jet smashed into a power line and exploded on the ground shortly after.
Footage showed the smouldering wreckage lying in the middle of a road, most of it destroyed, with parts of the jet, including the landing gear, strewn across the street.
The crash also appeared to have caused a car to erupt in flames outside a house.
No fatalities or injuries were reported on the ground.
‘There is very little left of the aircraft,’ Fire Chief Don Butz said. ‘We weren’t able to find any survivors.’
The crash caused a blackout for some 2,500 customers in the area.
Footage from a doorbell camera shows the moment the plane hurtles towards the ground before a flash erupts across the clouded night sky in El Cajon, California
Firefighters work to put out flames on the ground after a small jet plane crashed in unincorporated area in a town about 17 miles east of San Diego
Several fire and police units worked to get the blaze under control by about 9 p.m. local time in El Cajon, California
Around six San Diego Gas & Electric trucks were in the area working to get power restored amid constant rainfall.
Shortly before midnight power was restored to most customers, however around 350 people remained without.
The Sheriff’s Department said local volunteers from the American Red Cross would visit those people still without power in the morning to check on them.
At around 9pm, police said the burning wreckage had been extinguished.
Around an hour later, two chaplains arrived at the scene.
Lakeside resident Suzie Mercadante was out walking the dogs at around 7.15pm when she saw the jet plummeting to the ground.
She told the Tribune how she saw ‘a blue streak and then a giant big orange ball,’ then ‘the blackest smoke just billowing out.’
Thomas O’Brien who lives just a few blocks away from where the plane exploded onto the road said he was sitting on the couch when he heard the jet’s turbines screaming across the night sky.
Fire and smoke could be seen in video provided by a local resident. A Facebook livestream showed a car on fire in front of a house and debris in the street
No one on the ground was injured or hurt. Rainy conditions and the darkness have kept investigators from finding the full extent of the damage
He said that he used to hearing planes because they live near the runway at Gillespie Field, but described the sound as incredibly loud.
“It was 10 times louder than normal,” O’Brien told the Tribune. “My walls started shaking, like there was an earthquake. I froze. Honestly, I thought it was about to hit us.”
O’Brien said he saw the jet explode from his back window and the blast reflecting off his pool.
A few beats later, the booming sound of the explosion hit him and then his house lost power.
The cause of the crash has yet to be determined as authorities are still investigating.
The sheriff’s office said that there were ‘unknown injuries’ and encouraged anyone who saw the crash to contact the National Transportation and Safety Board.
The Sheriff’s Department said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will be on the scene in the morning and will be handling the investigation.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office is working to identify the remains of the crash victims.
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