Small plane crashes into Fullerton building near airport, killing at least two people and injuring 18 – Orange County Register
News

Small plane crashes into Fullerton building near airport, killing at least two people and injuring 18 – Orange County Register

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

A plane carrying four passengers crashed into a building near Fullerton Airport on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 2, shortly after the pilot radioed for an emergency landing. At least two people were killed and at least 18 others were injured.

Ten of the injured were taken to hospital and eight were treated at the scene.

Shortly after 2 p.m., the Fullerton Fire Department received a call about the collision on Raymer Avenue, Lt. Tim Kandler.

The building of the Michael Nicholas Designs furniture factory went up in flames and people were inside.

Juanita Ramirez, a 58-year-old employee, heard a loud crash and saw a large fireball flying toward her.

“It felt like a dream,” Ramirez said.

She started running away with her colleagues, her head pounding with fear.

Jesús Díaz, 43, was working on the assembly line nearby when he heard the loud noise and saw thick black smoke rising from the roof.

“I thought it was a burning speaker or an electrical fire,” Diaz said.

The explosion from the plane left some workers burned, at least one seriously, Diaz said.

More than 100 people were evacuated from the building.

It was unclear whether the people killed were on the plane or in the building.

1 from 8

A single-engine plane crashed into a building in Fullerton on January 2, 2025. (Photo from OnScene.TV)

Expand

Approximately 90 seconds after the pilot took off from Fullerton Airport, he radioed the Federal Aviation Administration tower at the airfield that an emergency landing was required.

According to the tower transmission, the aircraft received approval to use both sides of the runway.

This transmission shows that there was at least one passenger in addition to the pilot.

The cause of the crash was under investigation.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Originally published:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *