Police said a small Cessna aircraft crashed around 4 a.m. in the area of Sample and Salmon Street, just east of Interstate 15 and Aero Drive.
SAN DIEGO — A small plane crashed into a neighborhood in Tierrasanta early Thursday morning, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Police said the incident happened around 4 a.m. in the area of Sample and Salmon Street. At least 15 homes were affected by the crash, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. CBS 8 crews on the scene reported seeing large plane parts and heavy smoke around the neighborhood where the plane crashed.
As of 5:30 a.m., San Diego Fire-Rescue said no one had been transported from the scene, and there had been no distress calls. SDFD has evacuated multiple neighborhoods around the impacted area. The department is working to go through every home the plane had impacted, to ensure no one was hurt.
According to San Diego Fire-Rescue, it was a privately owned Cessna aircraft, which was on its way to Montgomery Field. SDFD is actively searching for the pilot and other people who may have been on board. SDFD is working in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration, California Highway Patrol, the San Diego Police Department, the National Transportation Safety Board and the military.
SDFD said the incident is now a HAZMAT situation, due to the flow of plane fuel going down neighborhood streets.
Hancock Elementary and Miller Elementary are closed. Miller Elementary will provide childcare.
A traffic alert was issued for a nearby freeway. The off-ramp from Northbound I-15 to Aero Dr. is closed. Restrictions are in place on Sample Street.
