Investigation Underway Into Deadly Small Plane Crash in Torrance

Investigation Underway Into Deadly Small Plane Crash in Torrance

TORRANCE (CNS) - Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board investigators will try today to try to determine what caused a small plane to crash onto the roof of a commercial building east of Torrance Municipal Airport, killing the pilot and critically injuring his passenger.

Police officers and firefighters were sent at 12:03 p.m. Thursday to the 25300 block of Crenshaw Boulevard after getting a report that a plane had crashed into a building, according to Sgt. Alexander Martinez of the Torrance Police Department.

“Upon arrival, officers were able to assist both (occupants) out of the plane,” according to a statement from Martinez. “The Torrance Fire Department treated one passenger on scene (who) was later transported to a local hospital for further treatment. Unfortunately, one male succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. There were no reports of injuries to any of the employees or customers within the building.”

Preliminary information indicated that a single-engine Cessna 177 with two people aboard crashed shortly after departing via Runway 11R at the airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The single-engine Cessna 177 landed on top of the California Pizza Kitchen and Joey's Smokin' BBQ restaurants, the Daily Breeze reported.

The plane appeared to have gone through the roof of the building and into a covered patio seating area for one of the restaurants, a Torrance fire captain told the newspaper.

The pilot planned to fly a one-mile lap at low altitude around the airport, the Daily Breeze reported.

The identity of the fatally injured pilot was not immediately available, city public information officer Michael Smith said.


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