Crime & Safety
Airplane Crashes, Causes Power Outages In East County
An aircraft crashed in a neighborhood near El Cajon Monday, bursting into flames and downing several power lines.
EL CAJON, CA — An aircraft crashed in a neighborhood near El Cajon Monday, bursting into flames and downing several power lines.
The crash was reported at about 7:15 p.m. in the area of Pepper Drive and North Mollison Avenue in the unincorporated Bostonia Neighborhood.
The area is a few miles east of Gillespie Field airport.
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The crash took down an unknown amount of power lines, and San Diego Gas & Electric reported that 632 customers in the El Cajon area were without power. Power was expected to be restored by early Tuesday morning, according to the utility.
News footage from the scene showed the plane's broken wreckage on fire in front of a home.
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The San Diego County Sheriff's Department tweeted at 8:28 p.m. that the department's Lakeside station was "investigating a plane crash in the area of Pepper Dr/N. 2nd St. in unincorporated El Cajon. There are unknown injuries at this time. Sheriff's deputies, along with @CHP_El_Cajon, @elcajonpolice, @LakesideFire are assisting with road closures."
The department tweeted at 8:57 p.m. that the fire was out, and added that the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were notified and will be handling the investigation.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has photos or videos from the scene was asked to email witness@ntsb.gov.
No further details were immediately available.
At this time, the fire is out. It will take time to process the scene, but @FAANews & @NTSB have been notified & will handle the investigation of a plane crash in @CityofElCajon. Do you have photos & videos of the plane crash? Do you have media inquiries? Email: witness@ntsb.gov pic.twitter.com/H6ZMeqNMfz
— San Diego Sheriff (@SDSheriff) December 28, 2021
Watch Commander Update: If you live in the area of @CityofElCajon, @CityofLakeside, @CityofSantee, please avoid the area near Pepper Dr. from Mollison Ave east to Pepper Hill Drive. This is a developing situation. We appreciate your patience and cooperation.
— San Diego Sheriff (@SDSheriff) December 28, 2021
— City News Service
