Photos by Chris Stone
Updated at 8:12 p.m. July 30, 2014
Despite lifesaving efforts by Costco employees, one woman died and another was hurt when a four-seat, single-engine propeller plane crashed Wednesday between the Target and Costco stores in Kearny Mesa, said authorities and eyewitnesses.
The accident occurred around 5:30 p.m. when the Mooney M20 went down at the Costco shopping center on the 7800 block of Othello Avenue, San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Lee Swanson said. The plane was attempting to land at Montgomery Field, a nearby municipal airport.
Cesar Alvarez Jr. told Times of San Diego that he was waiting for his girlfriend to get off work at Costco when he saw the plane go down — hitting a light fixture as it crashed to the pavement. He said two Costco employees rushed to the scene in a rescue attempt, “trying to get the passengers out.”
With fire coming from the plane, the Costco pair had trouble pulling out at least one of the passengers, he said.
“People started bringing fire extinguishers to calm the fire down,” said Alvarez, of Escondido who also reported calling 911.
Another witness, Gregg Smith of El Cajon, said he heard the plane take off but could tell it didn’t have enough power, “and then it was going down and I looked up. It was very low, barely missed my building across the street.”
The plane turned left toward Target, barely missed some power lines, Smith said, “and I heard a big thud” and saw flames a “bunch of black smoke.”
CBS News 8 reported the plane bounced when it attempted to land, clipping the roof of a Target store and a utility pole before crashing at the shopping center.
Firefighters arrived quickly and extinguished a small fire caused by the crash, Swanson said. Medics took the pilot, a woman in her 50s, and her passenger, believed to be 80, to a trauma center for treatment of major injuries. The older woman was pronounced dead at the hospital, Swanson said.
Two people on the ground were injured when they helped evacuate the women from the wrecked aircraft. The injuries were minor with one being taken to a hospital and the other being treated at the scene.
The plane started its journey to San Diego from the Riverside Municipal Airport, according to News 8.
Stay with Times of San Diego for more information as it becomes available.
— Chris Stone and City News Service contributed to this report.
