Cessna 172 crashes near San Diego, US, killing two
A Cessna 172 aircraft crashed and caught fire while landing at Montgomery-Gibbs Airport in San Diego, United States. Two people on board were killed. The flight was a training flight: an instructor and a student pilot were aboard the aircraft, Anadolu Agency reports.
Witnesses heard the impact
Witnesses Mauricio Godinez and Melizza Cardiel were in a nearby hangar when they heard a loud impact. They ran to the burning aircraft to help the people on board, but were forced to retreat because of the intense flames. According to Cardiel, the fire was too intense, and an attempt to approach the aircraft could have resulted in burns.
Crash investigation
According to a preliminary report by the US Federal Aviation Administration, the crash occurred during landing after the aircraft's left wing dropped. The aircraft likely stalled and then spun before hitting the ground.
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The US National Transportation Safety Board said the aircraft was attempting to go around — abort the landing and climb again. Commercial pilot and instructor Robert Katz, who analyzed available air traffic controller communications recordings and FlightAware data, said there were no distress signals or emergency declarations before the crash. He also noted that reports of strong winds had been received shortly before the incident.
The names of those killed have not yet been released. The investigation is being led by the US National Transportation Safety Board. A preliminary report is typically expected within several weeks, while the full investigation may take one to two years.
