The Santa Monica Fire Department responded to the scene around 4:25 p.m. and firefighters saw the aircraft engulfed in flames after the crash. Officials say the plane took off around 3:30 p.m. for an introductory flying lesson along the Malibu coast. The plane was cleared for landing when the student and instructor were returning to the airport. “The airplane shortly after or possibly shortly before landing, it went into the air aggressively — nose up, climbed to about a hundred feet and then rolled to the ground, where it hit the ground,” said Elliott Simpson, an investigator with the National Safety Council. Transportation. Firefighters extinguished the flames within minutes. Footage from the scene showed the burnt wreckage of the aircraft on the tarmac. The FAA identified the aircraft as a two-seat, single-engine Piper Sport. The Santa Monica Fire Department said the plane was operated by a flight school, later identified as the Santa Monica Flyers. NTSB officials confirmed that the victims who were killed were an instructor and a student. They were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names were not immediately released. According to the NTSB, witnesses and surveillance video saw the plane’s final moments in the air. The Santa Monica Fire Department said the neighborhoods were not affected by the crash. The NTSB is in charge of the investigation. The airport was closed for the investigation but is expected to reopen on Friday. The crash comes as the city prepares to close the airport by the end of 2028. Lawsuits and environmental safety concerns from neighbors and high-profile publicity have plagued the airport in recent years. In 2015, actor Harrison Ford crashed on a golf course in Venice and notified air traffic control immediately before landing that he had to return to Santa Monica airport due to engine failure. Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
