Multiple People Dead As 2 Planes Collide Over Airport
By Jason Hall
August 19, 2022
"Multiple" people were killed in connection to a collision between two planes flying over a California airport on Thursday (August 18), authorities confirmed via NBC News.
The crash took place at Watsonville Municipal Airport on California's central coast just prior to 3:00 p.m. as the planes collided while both were attempting to land, according to Michelle Pulido, a spokeswoman for the city of Watsonville.
Pulido said the exact number of deaths wasn't immediately clear during an update on Thursday.
The two planes, described as a twin-engine Cessna 340 with two people on board and a single-engine Cessna 152 carrying one person, were on their final approaches at the time of the collision, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration obtained by NBC News.
The City of Watsonville's Twitter account shared a photo depicting what appeared to be destruction at the airport.
Multiple agencies responded to Watsonville Municipal Airport after 2 planes attempting to land collided. We have reports of multiple fatalities.
— City of Watsonville (@WatsonvilleCity) August 18, 2022
Report came in at 2:56pm.
Investigation is underway, updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/pltHIAyw5p
Watsonville officials said the cause of the crash wasn't immediately clear and an investigation is ongoing.
"We are absolutely saddened to hear about the tragic incident that took the lives of several people," the city said in a statement to the community shared on its Twitter account. "The City of Watsonville sends its deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who passed."
We are absolutely saddened to hear about the tragic incident that took the lives of several people.
— City of Watsonville (@WatsonvilleCity) August 19, 2022
The City of Watsonville sends its deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who passed. pic.twitter.com/DWxBDrjxpi
The National Transportation Safety Board has also launched an investigation into the collision.