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A Cessna Citation that flew in Sunday evening from the Sun Valley area in Idaho crashed on landing at Santa Monica Airport. The jet slid into a hangar, possibly after its landing gear failed, witnesses told media outlets. The hangar collapsed and caught fire, then the flames spread to other buildings on the airport. Santa Monica fire officials said the crash and fire were "unsurvivable" for people on the plane, but they have not said how many crew and passengers, if any, were on board.
The plane is registered in Malibu and flew from Santa Monica to Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey, Idaho on Friday. That's an area popular with celebrities and for vacation homes. I expect there will be some extra media attention to this one until it's known how many people died on the plane and who they were. The Citation can hold as many as eight people, according to media reports. The Los Angeles Times says the Cessna is registered to Creative Real Estate Exchange LLC, a real-estate company based in Alabama and Georgia, and that the owner lives in Malibu.
More: Santa Monica Mirror, LA Times, SM Patch
