Move FM Global News

CALIFORNIA, U.S. – In a tragic incident in California, a small plane crashed into the outdoor parking lot of a mall in Santa Ana City, killing five people. 

The Orange County Fire Authority said that the twin-engine aircraft crashed near the South Coast Plaza shopping centre in Santa Ana city.

Further, officials said that the small aircraft went down into the parking lot of a Staples Supercenter, killing all five people on board.

Officials later said that the twin-engine Cessna plane was en route to John Wayne Airport when the pilot declared an emergency and crashed in Santa Ana around 12:30 pm local time on Sunday.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the plane was registered to a San Francisco company and had flown from the East bay suburb of Concord.

In a tweet, the FAA confirmed that the Cessna 414 had declared an emergency landing and crashed in a mall parking lot near the John Wayne Orange County Airport.

The Orange County Fire Authority later said that a medical group had been established to handle patient care and treatment.

According to reports, the plane crashed just a block away from the mall and there were no injuries on the ground. 

Tony Bommarito, the public information officer with Orange County Fire Authority later told reporters that the plane hit an unoccupied, parked vehicle on the ground, but the owner was in a store at the time of the crash.

So far, authorities have not revealed the identities of the victims.

Steve Concialdi, Captain of the Orange County Fire Authority said in a statement later that the Cessna airplane was heading to the airport but couldn’t make it in time.

Concialdi added that the engine cut out and the plane struck an empty parked car outside of a Staples store.

The five adults on the aircraft were believed to be travelling for work and were killed in the crash.

The crash is now being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.