Tragedy In California: Small Plane Crash Claims Two Lives And A Dog In Suburban Neighborhood
When it crashed, the home-built aircraft was on its way to Camarillo Airport from William J. Fox Airfield near Lancaster.
Police eventually confirmed that two individuals, including the dog, perished, despite the FAA’s original claim that just the pilot was on board. The identities of the victims are still under wraps.
Witnesses reported that the jet was ‘flying on its side’ as it circled over the neighbourhood before colliding with one house.
“There was another two minutes of this thing flying around… it was wobbling and just barely made it over the hill,” one witness told ABC7.
Although both properties were impacted by the fire, the second house in the collision suffered less damage.
The residents of both houses were safely evacuated, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
Arman Hovakemian, a homeowner, recounted the horrifying moment the plane crashed.
“I came in to the patio door to warn her, and then I heard the bang, then I turned around, she was almost out,” Hovakemian said.
Flames and an explosion were filmed by his family’s Ring camera from the rear of their house.
In an attempt to put out the fire, Hovakemian hurriedly reached for a hose, he told ABC7.
“I saw the fire on the plane, and then I saw the fire on the house. I kept the hose on the plane, and then it just exploded,” he said.
“I needed to back away because I could smell a lot of gas and fuel.”
In order to reach the fire, firefighters had to break through the Hovakemian’s roof; they discovered that the back of the Wood Ranch neighbourhood home was severely damaged.
Andrew Dowd of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department concluded there was no threat after authorities searched the area for any potentially dangerous objects that would worsen the already chaotic situation.
“There’s no apparent jet fuel. When firefighters arrive on scene for something like this, one of the things they want to try to determine is, do we have potential for a hazardous materials incident, significant fuel spill, something like that,” Dowd said.
“With this type of small, fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft, the determination was made that we didn’t have a significant hazardous materials risk.”
Streets in the vicinity were blocked by local police, and about 40 firefighters rushed to the collision.
Since then, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has begun looking into what caused the crash by examining weather reports, flight records, maintenance logs, and air traffic communications.
“When you have visibility like it is today, it’s always a concern. I don’t know… it’s way, way too early in this investigation for any of that to be factored in,” a law enforcement officer said at the scene.
According to NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson, the plane’s debris will be transferred to a secure location for additional assessment after it has been documented.
The Hovakemians will not be permitted to return to their home anytime soon because it has been red-taped as part of the continuing FAA and NTSB inquiry.
The FAA issued the following statement: “A Vans RV-10 crashed near High Meadow Street and Wood Ranch Parkway in Simi Valley, California, around 2:10 p.m. local time on Saturday, May 3. The pilot was alone on board. The plane departed from William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster and was heading to Camarillo Airport. The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation and will provide all updates.”
A Van’s RV-10 experienced a mechanical failure earlier this year in Fullerton, killing the pilot and his daughter and injured 19 passengers. The horrific accident is reminiscent of that tragedy.
According to the NTSB’s initial investigation in that instance, the plane’s door might not have been properly fastened.
According to the Associated Press, it may take weeks for the Simi Valley crash preliminary report to be released, and months for the final report.
