Two killed after aircraft crashes and catches fire in Santa Monica

Single-engine aircraft was being operated by a local flight school

The single-engine Piper Sport aircraft was to the airport when it touched down (Screengrab/ KTLA 5)

At least two people were killed in a plane crash on the Santa Monica airport runway in California on Thursday afternoon.

Officials from the Santa Monica fire department confirmed that the small aircraft crashed on the runway and immediately caught fire.

There were two people onboard and both of them died in the crash, authorities said in a statement.

Firefighters said a single-engine aircraft, which was operated by a local flight school, crashed in the infield and was engulfed in flames.

The aircraft rescue firefighters suppressed the flames within minutes, they said.

The single-engine Piper Sport aircraft was inbound to the airport when it touched down. However, it made an abrupt upward manoeuvre before crashing in the infield, the officials said.

The Aircraft Rescue Firefighters were assisted by deputies from the Santa Monica police department, Santa Monica Airport Operations and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Calling the crash a “tragic accident”, fire department chief Danny Alvarez in a statement said, “our thoughts are with the families of victims”.

The identity of the people who died in the aircraft crash has not been released by the officials.

The NTSB will be leading the investigation into the crash, Santa Monica police department said on Thursday. It added that the accident did not lead to any impact on the Santa Monica neighbourhoods.

Following the crash, the Santa Monica Airport remained closed on Thursday while the investigation continued and is likely to reopen on Friday.

Footage captured by the dash cam showed a thick dark plume of smoke rising from the airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) added that it will investigate the accident along with the NTSB.

“The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates,” the statement said.

“After investigators verify the aircraft registration number at the scene, the FAA will release it (usually on the next business day) on this webpage,” the federal agency said.

It added that people can look up the aircraft by its registration number on its webpage of aircraft inquiry.