Photo: San Diego Fire-Rescue Department
A tragic accident happened on Sunday morning as a result of a midair collision northeast of Brown Field Municipal Airport located in the suburb of Otay Mesa 13 miles southeast of San Diego, California. Five people were killed when the two airplanes, which were both approaching the airport to land, plummeted to the ground in a ball of fire. The accident caused a small brushfire, which was extinguished quickly.
According to NBC 7 San Diego, one of the airplanes was a Cessna 172 and the other a Sabreliner twinjet. The Sabreliner was reportedly on a training flight operated by military contractor BAE Systems while the Cessna was on a cross country flight. Cal Fire reported that both airplanes were in multiple pieces about one mile apart from each other in a grassy area.
The Los Angeles Times reported that four of the deceased were on the Sabreliner while the fifth person was piloting the Cessna.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the cause of the accident.
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