Posted on 05/22/2025 8:53:32 AM PDT by BenLurkin
A private jet crashed into a San Diego neighborhood during foggy weather early Thursday, setting about 15 homes on fire as well as vehicles, and forcing the evacuation of several blocks, authorities said.
It was not immediately known how many people were aboard the aircraft, but officials confirmed multiple fatalities.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Cessna 550 went down around 3:45 a.m. near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in Murphy Canyon, a community comprised of military housing.
San Diego Police and other first responders rushed to the scene and battled the flames fueled by spilled jet fuel., KSWB-TV reported.
“We have jet fuel all over the place,” Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said during a news conference. “Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now.”
Authorities later confirmed that all of the fatalities were aboard the aircraft and no residents of the community required hospitalization.
“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 single car was burning down both sides of the street.”
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.
...
Eddy said it was very foggy at the time the private plane crashed. “You could barely see in front of you,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
The pilots, in all likelihood, possessed instrument ratings along with commercial and turbojet type ratings. Turbojet operations require IFR flightplans at the altitudes at which they operate.
My guess, knowing only what I read in the article, the visibility was about zero-zero, meaning that the pilots should have elected to fly to their alternate airport.
I won't speculate as to the cause, NTSB will do it's fact-finding, however pilot fatigue and desire to force a landing in below minimum conditions are something they're certain to look at.
And no, it's wrong to require VFR pilots to get an instrument rating. It's nice to have (I have one) but unneeded and expensive for day, clear weather operations.
Yuppers!
💯
I live in Iowa.
I wonder if this was a medical flight with a get there itis aspect. We will know soon enough...
“ Is it time to require instrument ratings to fly a plane?”
No way a jet rated pilot wouldn’t be instrument rated
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N666DS/history/20250522/0735Z/KAAO/KMYF
N666DS (tail number of the beast?)
Registered to Daviator LLC in Homer, AK.
If he is flying a Citation he would have had an instrument rating. In all probability he hit his minimum altitude for the approach into Montgomery and DID NOT execute the missed approach procedure. Instead was thinking, "okay 50 more feet" and I might see the approach lights.
“Pilots without instrument ratings flying into heavy weather is a common cause of crashes. Aviation people call it the “gotta-goes”. Is it time to require instrument ratings to fly a plane?”
Not of jets it is not. They have instrument ratings.
Why would you say something so ignorant and stupid?
Correct. It's not just weather that requires an instrument rating. Flight above 18,000 feet requires it as well.
At 3:45 AM.
“Executive golf outing?”
I have been on the design teams of many private aircraft. The FIRST thing every sales rep wants / says is “and here is where you can fit your golf bags.”
The lettering on the engine is fairly close to “FML” isn’t it?
I used to work the flightline at Homestead AFB. It wasn’t unheard of for pilots to land, and to go to an exterior travel pod on the F-4 to get their golf clubs, before heading to debrief.
It’s just a generic pic of a Cessna 550...............
“At 3:45 AM.”
That’s what’s amazing. If it were midday, people would be at work. But at 3:45 am, most are tucked in bed with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.
“N666DS (tail number of the beast?)”
Well it does say “DS”.
>>>
The plane, with a tail number of N666DS, took off from Teterboro Airport in on Wednesday at 11.15pm ET, tracking data reveals.
It stopped for fuel in Wichita, Kansas before continuing on to California, where the Cessna ultimately crashed in a quiet military neighborhood in San Diego, close to its intended final destination of Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
EXCLUSIVE Famous drummer was killed in private jet crash after posting photo of himself at CONTROLS
Shades of Randy Rhodes!................
YouTuber VASAviation has some of the ATC communication in the latest video...
https://youtu.be/3C1RHOzJOxg?feature=shared
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RB, I don’t subscribe and can read them. Can’t post, but can read them.
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