US: Plane crashes into shopping mall, killing at least one person

Two women were in a Mooney M-20L plane that crashed in a San Diego shopping mall, one died and the other was taken to the hospital.

One woman was killed and another injured when their plane crashed into the parking lot of a busy shopping mall near San Diego airport yesterday (July 30).

Scene of the plane crash in San Diego (Photo: AP)

The Mooney M-20L crashed around 5:30 p.m. local time near Montgomery Field Airport. The remains of the plane are now in a parking lot near a Costco and a Target store.

San Diego Fire Department spokesman Lee Swanson said the woman was a passenger on the flight. The female pilot was injured and taken to a local hospital. No further information was available about her condition.

The plane hit the roof of the Target store, then hit a light pole before coming to a stop in the parking lot, Lt. Steve Behrendt said.

The plane failed to land at Montgomery Field at 5:25 p.m. and continued west, causing the crash, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

According to the website UTSanDiego.com, a helicopter pilot flying in the area nearby said he heard the pilot from the crashed aircraft say that her plane had lost control and was going down.

The plane caught fire after the crash and the woman died from severe burns. Mr Swanson said two civilians who rushed to help those on board suffered minor burns. One injured person was taken to hospital.

The US Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will be responsible for investigating the cause of this incident./.

According to AP