SAN DIEGO (KSWB/KUSI) – A small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood early Thursday morning, killing multiple people on board and setting homes and vehicles on fire, authorities said.
San Diego police and fire officials said the plane could hold eight to 10 people, but they do not yet know how many were on board. Assistant San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy said no one was injured on the ground.
The crash happened at about 3:45 a.m. near the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said. According to the San Diego Police Department, the incident was reported just before 4 a.m. in the Murphy Canyon community.
At least 15 residences were affected, authorities said.
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The scene of s plane crash in San Diego on Thursday, May 22, 2025. (KSWB) -
Vehicles and houses are damages after a small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, setting several homes on fire and forcing evacuations along several blocks early Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) -
Authorities work the scene where a small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, setting several homes on fire and forcing evacuations along several blocks early Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) -
Police help rescue dogs from a home after a small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood earlier, setting several homes on fire and forcing evacuations along several blocks, Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
“We have jet fuel all over the place,” Eddy said during a news conference. “Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now.”
He said “there is a direct hit to multiple homes” in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood and described “a gigantic debris field” in a dense, packed neighborhood.
“When it hit the street, as the jet fuel went down, it took out every single car that was on both sides of the street,” Eddy said. “You can see that every singe car was burning down both sides of the street.”
Families in the neighborhood were evacuated. Eddy said fire officials will be investigating whether the plane hit a power line.
It was very foggy at the time the private plane crashed, Eddy added. “You could barely see in front of you.”
San Diego officials haven’t released details about the plane that crashed, but said it was a flight coming in from the Midwest.
The flight tracking site Flight Aware lists a Cessna Citation II jet that was scheduled to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego at 3:47 a.m. from the small Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas.
San Diego Police and other first responders remained on scene as the investigation continued.
Residents were advised to avoid the area while authorities assessed the situation and secured the crash site. It is not yet known what caused the plane to go down.
The FAA released the following statement on the incident:
“A Cessna 550 crashed near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in California, around 3:45 a.m. local time on Thursday, May 22. The number of people on board is unknown at this time. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NSTB will lead the investigation and provide any updates.”
In October 2021, a twin-engine plane plowed into a San Diego suburb, killing the pilot and a UPS delivery driver on the ground and burning homes. It was preparing to land at the airport.
In December 2008, a Marine Corps fighter jet slammed into a house in San Diego’s University City neighborhood, causing an explosion that killed four people inside. The Marine Corps blamed the crash on mechanical failure and human error.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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