Two dead, 18 injured in small plane crash in California

A small plane crashed into a commercial building in California today, killing at least two people and injuring 18 others, police said.

The crash took place early in the afternoon (local time) near Fullerton Municipal Airport, 40km southeast of Los Angeles. The cause remains unknown.

“There are two confirmed fatalities,” Fullerton police said on X.

Additionally, 10 people were hospitalised and eight others were treated at the scene.

🚨#BREAKING: Evacuations are underway with a massive response after a plane crashed into an office building or warehouse with reports of casualties
⁰📌#Fullerton l #California

A massive response is currently underway in Fullerton, California, where evacuations are in progress… pic.twitter.com/9j6N7W4mkh

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 2, 2025

Investigators do not yet know if the deceased were plane passengers or if they were workers at the building where it crashed, a police officer told local station KTLA.

Television footage showed a gaping hole in the roof of the building, with smoke pouring out.

Crash into a building in Fullerton, CA. 😔I’ve often considered using a warehouse roof in the event of a forced LOB, it may be time to rethink that. pic.twitter.com/4MAI3RWYCs

— JP Schulze (@the_candourist) January 2, 2025

“All we hear is like a loud noise, boom, and that’s it. Then we started running out” of the building, Jerome Cruz, one of the workers who witnessed the scene, told CBS News.

The plane was a single-engine Van’s RV-10, a small model with four seats, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has opened an investigation.

Another crash near Fullerton Airport injured two people in November.