Flight Instructor and Student Die in Plane Crash at California Airport, Officials Say

Sept. 12, 2022

A single-engine plane crashed at an airport in California, leaving a flight instructor and student dead, fire officials said and news outlets reported.

Fire officials were dispatched after reports of an aircraft accident at the Santa Monica Airport on Thursday, Sept. 8, around 4 p.m., according to a news release by Santa Monica Fire.

After arriving at the scene, firefighters saw that the plane had crashed in the infield and was overrun with flames, according to the news release. Aircraft Rescue Firefighters arrived in under two minutes and put the flames out.

The plane was headed to the airport when it touched down and “made an abrupt upward maneuver before crashing,” officials said. The Piper Sport two-seat aircraft was operated by a local flight school.

The plane took off for an introductory flight lesson along the coast of Malibu at 3:30 p.m., officials told KABC.

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the victims were an instructor and a student, news outlets reported. Their names have not been released to the public.

“This is a tragic accident, and our thoughts are with the families of the deceased,” Santa Monica Fire Chief Danny Alvarez said in a video Santa Monica Fire posted on Twitter.

The Santa Monica Airport will remain closed while the investigation continues, with reopening anticipated for Friday, Sept. 9, according to the news release.

Santa Monica is a suburb of Los Angeles.

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