Two victims have been identified in a fiery airplane wreckage killing four in an unincorporated area of El Cajon Tuesday evening.
There was no immediate information about what caused the Learjet 35 business aircraft to crash just after 7 p.m near the 1200 block of Pepper Drive and North Mollison Avenue in the Bostonia neighborhood, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. The aircraft took off from the John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana and was scheduled to land at the Gillespie Field airport, which was only a few miles east.
The International Association of EMTs and Paramedics identified Laurie Gentz as one of the four passengers in a social media post. Firefighters found no survivors at the scene.
The organization extended their "sincere condolences for the devastating and sudden loss of Local 162 President Laurie Gentz, her fellow passengers, and the Learjet flight crew".
The Oceanside Firefighters Association identified Tina Ward, a nurse and wife of retired county Fire Chief Joe Ward as the first victim of the accident in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
"It is with heavy hearts that the Oceanside Fire Department and their fire family would like to extend our deepest condolences to our recently retired Chief Ward, his family, and all family and friends of the Aeromedevac flight crew N880Z," the post read.
Multiple local law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, along with the California Highway Patrol and the Lakeside Fire Protection District. There is no immediate information of what led to the crash.
The Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will be handling the investigation.
As many as 2,500 San Diego Gas & Electric customers were affected by the crash as it took down an unknown amount of powerlines in the El Cajon area. According to sheriff's officials, the American Red Cross provided assistance to residents that remained affected by the power outage.
The plane was registered to Sterling Silver Flyers, LLC of Missoula, Montana.
Those who may have witnessed the crash or have photos or videos from the scene are asked to email witness@ntsb.gov.
