2 Killed In Plane Crash At California Airport

Two people were killed Monday after a small plane crashed and burst into flames at a San Diego airport, authorities said.

The wreck happened at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in the Kearny Mesa area after police received a report of the crash at about 5:21 p.m., according to the San Diego Police Department.

Emergency crews rushed to the runway as the aircraft burned.

“Approximately 30 SDFD personnel are on scene of a small plane on fire on the runway at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. The airport will be temporarily closed during emergency operations,” the San Diego Fire-Rescue posted on X.

Authorities later confirmed that two people were killed.

The circumstances leading up to the crash were not immediately clear.

Witnesses working nearby reported seeing the aircraft on fire as emergency crews converged on the airport.

#UPDATE Two killed when a Cessna 172 (N734ZK) crashed and caught fire on the runway at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego this evening.

Reported ~5:21 p.m. ~30 SDFD on scene. Airport closed during response. Cause unknown. NTSB heading in.#MYF #AviationSafety https://t.co/WFuQAxFopv pic.twitter.com/R1l2iAVaVE

— SLCScanner (@SLCScanner) September 8, 2026

Firefighters, police and other first responders remained on the scene while the airport was temporarily shut down for emergency operations.

Investigators had not immediately released the identities of the victims or detailed what may have caused the plane to go down.

The deadly crash comes just two days after another aviation disaster in California claimed four lives near Sierra Sky Park Airport in Fresno.

Flight instructor Danna Eady, 41, her husband Craig, 44, and their two sons, Pavel, 10, and Remus, 13, were killed after their single-engine aircraft crashed Saturday.

Emergency crews responding to that wreck found debris scattered near a bluff by the river as flames spread across a nearby hillside.

Monday’s crash marks another deadly aviation incident in California in a matter of days, with investigators now working to determine what caused the San Diego aircraft to crash at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.

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