Five Killed After Cessna Crashes on Super Bowl Party in Southern California

Five people were killed and two other people injured after a Cessna airplane appeared to break apart above an Orange County neighborhood, crashing into a house that was about to host a Super Bowl LIII party.

The 1981 Cessna twin-engine plane took off from Fullerton Municipal Airport about ten minutes before the crash, authorities say. Radar data showed the plane made a left turn to climb to 7,800 feet before it nose-dived into the home.

The pilot on-board the craft was killed, along with two males and two females who were inside the home, Orange County sheriff's Lt. Cory Martino said.

The Cessna 414A's second engine dislodged from the plane and fell onto the street, creating an enormous hole.

There's no word on why the plane suddenly crashed. The plane's descent was captured on video and appeared to indicate that the plane was breaking up prior to crashing,

"From the video, it does appear it was an in-flight breakup," said NTSB aviation accident investigator Maja Smith. "There are a few witness statements out there that said the wings fell off first, and then the explosion followed. Then the airplane just went on toward the ground."

Two other people were injured in the crash and were taken to a local hospital for burn injuries. Their conditions are currently unknown. The names of those killed and injured were withheld pending notification of next of kin.

NTSB investigators will continue gathering evidence on Monday as they try to determine how and why the plane nose-dived into the Southern California home. A preliminary crash report will be issued in the next 10 to 14 days, authorities said. A total of 72 firefighters from the Orange County Fire Authority, Anaheim, and Orange were dispatched to the scene.

Photo: Corbin Carson.