5 killed when small plane crashes through Arizona airport fence and hits car
By Amanda Musa, CNN
(CNN) — Five people were killed when a small plane crashed through a fence and hit a car while aborting takeoff at an Arizona airport Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
The Honda HA-420 jet crashed around 4:40 p.m. at Falcon Field Airport in Mesa – a city about 25 miles east of Phoenix – according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
“Preliminary information indicates that the plane impacted the airport perimeter fence and a passenger vehicle during an aborted takeoff,” the NTSB said in an emailed statement to CNN Wednesday morning.
Five people were killed in the crash, according to Marrisa Ramirez-Ramos, a spokesperson for the Mesa Fire and Medical Department, who declined to comment further on the deaths.
“Five people were on board the plane,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement to CNN. ”The aircraft struck a vehicle outside of the airport property.”
Fire officials, the FAA and the NTSB didn’t specify whether anyone outside of the plane was injured or if anyone was in the vehicle when it was hit.
The plane crashed through a metal fence and “a few concrete walls,” a witness, Joshua Golabi, told CNN affiliate KPNX.
A pilot himself, Golabi said he didn’t see the impact of the crash but heard it.
“We were just about to get into our aircraft and go when we heard a pop and saw a plume of smoke,” Golabi said.
The plane was consumed by flames at one point, KPNX reported.
“It’s just very jarring and it’s a reminder to all pilots to always fly and maneuver as safe as you can,” Golabi said.
Officials have not identified the victims. The NTSB is leading the investigation into the crash, a spokesperson said.
CNN’s Sara Finch contributed to this report.
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