Security footage captured the terrifying moment a small plane plunged onto a runway at a San Diego airport, killing two people — as another pilot described seeing the fiery aftermath.
Video shows the Cessna Skyhawk appearing to gain elevation before suddenly taking a nosedive at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport early Monday evening, ABC 10 reported.
The two people killed in the crash have yet to be identified.
San Diego Police said they received a call around 5:21 p.m. Monday reporting the crash, adding that the plane was attempting to land at the time.
Witness Sidney VanNess, who had also been trying to land at the airport after a trip from Sacramento with two of his children, told the California Post that his son pointed out the horrifying sight as they approached the runway.
“Dad, there’s a fire over there,” VanNess recalled his son telling him. The pilot had hoped it wasn’t a crash, but air traffic control gave him the terrible news.
“You see something like that… this is an activity that has to keep you humble,” he said. “You understand that even if you do everything right, that can be you. That’s the sad truth.”
VanNess, who said he has flown about 400 hours in a Cessna but was flying a Cirrus aircraft at the time, needed to redirect to Gillespie Field in nearby El Cajon.