A plane crashed on the Santa Monica Airport runway Thursday afternoon, killing two people.
The crash in the 3300 block of Donald Douglas Loop occurred at 4:25 p.m., according to the Santa Monica Fire Department.
According to a press release from the Fire Department, the single-engine Piper Sport airplane, which was operated by a local flight school, crashed and caught fire.
Though the flames were extinguished in 1 minute and 39 seconds, both people aboard died.
“The aircraft was inbound to the airport when it touched down, made an abrupt upward maneuver before crashing in the infield,” the release said.
Fire Department Chief Danny Alvarez called the situation a “tragic accident” in a press conference Thursday evening.
“Our thoughts are with the families of victims,” Alvarez said.
Dashcam footage captured a large, dark plume of smoke rising from the airport.
Fire officials added that there was “no hazard to the nearby residential neighborhood,” but the airport is currently closed to all air traffic until an expected reopening on Friday.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
“The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates,” the statement said. “After investigators verify the aircraft registration number at the scene, the FAA will release it (usually on the next business day) on this webpage. You can look up the aircraft by its registration number on this webpage. Neither agency identifies people involved in aircraft accidents.”