CORONA, Calif., Jan. 20, 2008
5 Killed In Small Plane Collision
Cessnas Crash Outside Los Angeles, One Person Killed On Ground By Debris
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This aerial photo from KCBS-TV shows the wreckage of a Cessna single-engine aircraft in the parking lot of a car dealership in Corona, California, Jan. 20, 2008. Two small planes collided in the air, killing four passengers and one person on the ground. (CBS)
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One of the planes involved in the fatal collision is believed to be a Cessna 150, similar to the aircraft shown above. (AP)
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Two people were killed from each plane, and the fifth was inside a Chevy dealership that was hit by wreckage, said Wayne Pollack of the National Transportation Safety Board.
The small Cessnas collided Sunday afternoon near the small Corona Municipal airport and a freeway in Riverside County, about 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.
Kenitzer did not immediately know where either plane was headed or whether there were any distress calls.
The Corona airport does not have a staffed control tower, he said.
Television pictures showed that the smashed fuselage of one of the planes landed atop a parked car.
Virgil Rodriguez, a manager at the nearby Corona Nissan, told local broadcasters that sales staff and customers were outside when they heard a crash and saw debris come raining down.
"It was like an explosion in the air and we seen debris flying all over the place," he told CBS station KCBS-TV.
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"We all ran inside, everybody just ran for cover because everything was flying everywhere. I believe a body landed on top of a car, one in the middle of the street and the plane landed in the back of our building and crushed a couple of cars." We got four bodies on our property — two in the plane, one in the driveway and one on the car.
Hector Hernandez, eyewitness"At first we thought it was only one (plane), but we after everything came down, there was one in the back of our building and one in the middle of the street," Rodriguez said, adding that the planes appeared to be Cessnas.
Rodriguez told KCBS bodies landed all over the dealership. "We got four bodies on our property - two in the plane, one in the driveway and one on the car."
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- Scott, you will be missed by all. Thought you''d never leave without saying good-bye. I cherished our friendship and the kind way you always treated me and everyone around you. Rest In Peace My Dear Friend,
Robin - Reply to this comment
- LOL....
- Reply to this comment
- [Many friends I met on a site called pubspa say taking plane is very dangerous. I met these friends on the site because we have the same interest - massage. We usually talk together. Besides, we share blogs, videos, music and games.]
[Posted by jake20076 at 03:16 AM : Jan 21, 2008]
jake ... massage is very dangerous ... you never know where those hands have been before they touched you. be very careful w/ massage. - Reply to this comment
- This is every pilots nightmare. As a private pilot for many years, there are many ressons this could have occurred..... lack of communication in uncontrolled airspace would be most common but not the only possibility. BUT as a reality check, 5 persons killed in one day in an inflight collision is horrible, but exceedingly rare. There are more people killed on our highways every hour of every day. These are so common they do not even make the news anymore.
- Reply to this comment
- What class is the airport, C or D?
- Reply to this comment
- What does the AIM say?
- Reply to this comment
- mdk2dude - You are absolutely correct. As a private pilot, I can attest that most mid-airs occur because the pilots were not communicating over the unicom frequency, diminishing their "situational awareness". What is really bizarre, however, is that the FAA does not require radios in that class of aircraft! Flying is an unbelievably incredible experience, but one has to be constantly vigilant and pay attention to safety procedures. My respects to the families...
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- mainemade...So by this thinking if god wanted us to ride in cars he would have given us wheels not legs?? Born and raised in Maine myself...
- Reply to this comment
- And people wonder why I don''t/won''t fly!!
If humans were meant to fly, we''d be born with wings and feathers!
When they learn how to make the plane out of the "little black box" material...I may consider getting into a plane!! - Reply to this comment
- Maybe the class rating for the airport should be increased.
- Reply to this comment
- They should have asked a nearby ATC to watch out for them.
- Reply to this comment
- The usual reason planes collide over an uncontrolled field is that they were not talking to each other. There are frequencies to use around uncontrolled air space so this type of accident does not occur. I suspect neither one was on the radio when this happened. It causes people to assume all planes are unsafe and that is just not true.
- Reply to this comment
- What a tragedy for all involved.
jake, I think I have seen it all. Using a plane crash story to promote a website. Wow. - Reply to this comment
- Condolences go out to the families.
- Reply to this comment
- This is terrible news my sympathies to the faimilies. Was it foggy how did this happen?
- Reply to this comment
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