Two people were killed and three others were injured Saturday night when a small private plane crashed and caught fire near Henderson Executive Airport, authorities said.
The single-engine, Beechcraft Sierra propeller plane took off from the Henderson airport in Nevada headed for Gillespie Field Airport in El Cajon, but decided to turn around soon after take-off due to mechanical issues, according to the Henderson Fire Department.
Audio recording from Henderson's air traffic control tower revealed a plane registered as 24030, specifically an MC-487 Beech C24R, was cleared for takeoff.
A few minutes later, the plane called the control tower requesting to land because an airplane door had opened midair. They were cleared for landing by the air traffic control operator.
In the audio recording, they were not heard from again.
“From a physical aerodynamic standpoint, the door actually opening up in the aircraft should not cause enough of a disruption of air flow around the aircraft where it would necessarily cause the aircraft to stop flying or cause it to be aerodynamically unstable,” said Gary Buzel, a local commercial pilot instructor.
Added Buzel, “It's more of a distracting element to the pilot and crew on the aircraft. It’s not a very good scenario to be distracted when you’re flying the aircraft.”
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The plane intended to land at Henderson Airport but then crashed and caught fire in an open desert area near the airport.
One person died at the scene and three others were transported to the hospital in serious condition. One of those three later passed away at the hospital.
“As a pilot, I was very upset to see another aviator, especially from the San Diego area, lost their life in this accident and it definitely shocks the community,” Buzel said.
None of the people involved in the crash have been identified by the Medical Examiner's Office.
A bystander who ran to the scene suffered smoke inhalation-related injuries.
The plane was registered to SoCal Leasing, LLC based at Gillespie Field in El Cajon. SoCal Leasing is further tied to Fly CFA, LLC also known as California Flight Academy. The plane may also be connected to California Wings of El Cajon.
California Flight Academy said in a statement it was "heartbroken over the news of our colleagues and friends."
"Our hearts and prayers are with the families of those involved in this tragic accident," the statement continued.
The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the cause of the crash, which FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor said could take over a year to finish.
No other information was available.
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