Odessa American, Texas
(TNS)
Aug. 20—Two people were killed and one injured early Tuesday when a private jet crashed and exploded shortly after takeoff from Schlemeyer Field.
The fatal crash occurred just south of the county airport on the south side of Yukon, and the ensuing explosions and fire damaged several buildings, including trailer homes and Dewey's Breakfast Shop. Power to the immediate area was also knocked out.
Killed in the fatal mishap were two occupants of the doomed plane. One person — the female occupant of one of the trailers that burned — was injured. The two deceased were Joseph Vincent Summa, 48, of Bellaire, Texas, and Joleen Cavaretta Weatherly, 49, of Orange, Texas. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, a Texas Department of Public Safety news release said.
The Cessna 550 Citation II jet was destined for Ellington Airport in Houston. It was involved in an accident during a takeoff attempt. The accident destroyed the plane.
A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) identified the aircraft as a Cessna Citation business jet.
In a news briefing following the incident, Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said he received a call about a plane crash about 7:01 a.m. just south of Schlemeyer Field.
"Upon arrival, it was discovered that there was a large fire after some explosions," he said. "Witnesses have said that they saw the plane struggling to get an altitude, lift up power lines here on the south side of Yukon and ultimately crashed in the alleyway, mostly in the alleyway between Stevenson (Avenue) and Alderfer (Avenue).
"It's obvious the pilot attempted to avoid the houses. We do have the Red Cross on scene. They're going to open up a temporary shelter at a later time. We'll let everybody know where and when that's going to be. Right now, we're just right in the middle of the investigative part of what we have to do."
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the incident.
In a statement, NTSB said investigators are en route to the scene and are expected to arrive around Wednesday morning. Once on site, the investigators will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft. The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation.
A temporary shelter has been set up by the Red Cross for those affected by the plane crash at Connection Christian Church, 4241 Tanglewood Lane. Please enter through the south door.
Cotton said OFR was dispatched to the scene about 7 a.m.
"We had about 36 people total on scene at one time," he said. "We had a couple of trailer houses that were on fire, some outbuildings, storage buildings, in the alleyway, in the backyard, that were burning. We did rescue a female out of one of the trailer houses that was burning. She has been sent to the hospital."
Griffis said authorities heard from someone working just west of the crash, who reported seeing the plane struggling to gain altitude just before it went down.
"Upon impact and the explosion, they felt the heat wave over there at their job site, and then there was another subsequent explosion. That's about all we know right now," Griffis said. "I wanted to give kudos to OFR and all their staff. They were out here on scene, and they had this thing under control pretty quick."
Cotton added: "We've got damage to power lines along Yukon. We've got damage to Dewey's. There's damage to a few buildings. One of the trees was topped off; damage to vehicles, fences, property all up and down that alley. It's an entire block."
Teresa Marshall and Millie Dietiker live nearby.
Marshall said she was asleep when she heard a loud bang and a lot of explosions. Everything went off and she said it was "kind of scary because it was so close."
Dietiker said she lost her TV and house phone. Her sister told her it was a plane crash and that the people on the plane had died and one woman who was in a home was taken to the hospital.
"I'd never seen anything like it. It was scary as heck," she said.
Someone with Dewey's Breakfast Shop said they have to wait until the investigation is complete, but they hope to be back as soon as they can.
Ector County ISD's Alternative Education Center was nearby and impacted.
The crash occurred before the start of the school day and knocked out power to the AEC, so students were re-routed to Ratliff Stadium. The 40 students were met there by AEC faculty members, ECISD police officers and the School Nutrition Department which delivered breakfast to them.
After it was determined electricity would not be restored right away, those students were bused to Wilson & Young Medal of Honor Middle School to start the school day. Around 1 p.m. power was restored to the AEC and students returned there to finish the day and will catch their regular transportation home, a news release said.
Griffis said he didn't think the crash would affect air traffic at the county airport because the incident took place south of the airport property.
Griffis said he had been to one other plane crash in his career many years ago on airport grounds and it was "way more minor than this one."
"There were slight injuries, but no fatalities (in the previous incident)," he said. "It's a sad day in Odessa."
Vehicular traffic was being detoured and blocked off Tuesday morning, as emergency personnel worked to extinguish the fire and secure the scene for federal investigators.
Yukon, between Dixie and Andrews Highway, was blocked to traffic, and Griffis added that motorists should avoid Stevenson, Alderfer and Benefield between the 6700 block and Yukon.
"We're going to be on scene for many hours to come, and we'll probably have to protect the scene until at least the FAA and other authorities get here," he said. "So please avoid the area and let us conduct our business now."
Cotton added, "What we do know is the representative from the FAA that will be coming down to do the investigation ... out of Lubbock, so it'll be at least a couple hours before they get here."
Griffis said when he heard about the crash he said a little prayer for those who were in the plane and on the ground.
"We don't want this to happen to anybody, anytime, anywhere," Griffis said. "We sure don't like seeing it in our neighborhood, but it's here. We're going to do the best of our ability and take care of it and just pray for those affected."
More information from NTSB
NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment. As part of this process, investigators will gather the following information and records:
— Flight track data
— Recordings of any air traffic control communications
— Aircraft maintenance records
— Weather forecasts and actual weather and lighting conditions around the time of the accident
— Pilot's license, ratings and recency of flight experience
— 72-hour background of the pilot to determine if there were any issues that could have affected the pilot's ability to safety operate the flight
— Witness statements
— Electronic devices that could contain information relevant to the investigation
— Any available surveillance video, including from doorbell cameras
Witnesses to the accident or those who have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation are asked to contact the NTSB at [email protected].
During the on-scene phase of the investigative process, the NTSB does not determine or speculate about the cause of the accident.
The NTSB has no role in the release of the identities of accident victims and/or the extent and number of injuries nor does it release the identities of those injured or killed; that's handled by local authorities.
A preliminary report will be available within 30 days; it can be accessed by searching our investigations database with the NTSB number CEN24FA320. It will also be posted on NTSB Newsroom Twitter.
The preliminary report will contain factual information gathered during the initial phase of the investigation. A probable cause of the crash along with any contributing factors will be detailed in the final report, which is expected in 12-24 months.
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