A small private jet exploded near San Diego after hitting power lines shortly after 7 pm on Monday, December 27. None of the four people aboard the plane survived the crash. The Learjet 35A went down into flames and smashed onto a road in San Diego leaving more than 2,500 residents in dark without power. The victims of the crash have now been identified.
According to the New York Post, the four people onboard the plane were two pilots and two flight nurses. They were heading back to their home base after flying a patient from Arizona. According to FlightAware.com, the private jet was owned by an air ambulance company, Med Jet LLC of El Cajon. Earlier it was reported that the people aboard the plane were on a business trip.
According to FAA, the jet had taken off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County at 6:56 pm on Monday. Hardly 20 minutes in the air, the jet crashed in the area of Pepper Drive and North 2nd Street, at around 7.15 pm.
Who are the victims?
One of the deceased was identified as Tina Ward, the wife of recently retired Oceanside Fire Chief Joe Ward. An Instagram post by the department's union broke the news of Tina's death in the plane crash. The post contained a 'happy' picture of the couple.
The names of the other three victims are not known at the moment. The identity of the patient the plane crew flew from Arizona is also not clear at the moment. A chilling audio record of the pilot moments before the plane crash obtained by the Times of San Diego entails the final minute conversation between the pilot and the air traffic controller. The pilot could be heard screaming, "Oh s**t! Oh s**t! No," before a loud crash as everything went silent.
