Plane crash in California kills three
Thursday, February 18, 2010
A Cessna 310 plane hit an electrical pylon in Northern California shortly after taking off Wednesday. All three of the plane's passengers were killed. The plane's wing struck a house which caught fire, along with parked cars. No injuries on the ground were reported.
The crash occurred at 7:55 am local time (15:55 UTC). The Federal Aviation Administration said that the plane was originating from Palo Alto Airport and was en route to Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Hawthorne, California.
The persons killed were employees of Tesla Motors, later identified as Doug Bourn, Andrew Ingram, and Brian Finn, all involved with electronics at the company. Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, released a statement saying, in part, "Tesla is a small, tightly-knit company, and this is a tragic day for us."
The plane was registered to Air Unique Incorporated, in Santa Clara, California, which is owned by another Tesla employee Doug Bourn.
Sources
- Jim Christie. "Three Tesla employees dead in small plane crash" — Reuters, February 17, 2010
- Brooke Donald. "3 Tesla workers die when plane hits N. Calif. home" — Associated Press, February 17, 2010
- "Three die as small plane hits houses in California" — BBC News Online, February 17, 2010
- "Friends call Tesla engineers killed in plane crash dedicated, 'passionate'" — Mercury News, February 18, 2010