ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A small plane crashed in a West Texas neighborhood Tuesday, killing the pilot and a passenger and setting off a large fire on the ground that injured a woman, authorities said.
Witnesses said the plane struggled to gain altitude after taking off from an Odessa airport and then struck a power line before crashing in an alley at about 7 a.m., according to authorities. Both people aboard the plane died.
“It’s obvious the pilot attempted to avoid the houses,” Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said.
The large fire on the ground came after a couple of explosions after the plane crash, he said.
In addition to a couple of mobile homes, some outbuildings in backyards also caught on fire, said Odessa Fire Rescue Chief Jason Cotton. The woman who was injured had to be rescued from one of the burning mobile homes and was taken to a hospital, he said. There was also damage to vehicles, fences and a restaurant in the city of about 114,000.
The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the pilot as Joseph Vincent Summa, 48, of the Houston suburb of Bellaire, and the passenger as Joleen Cavaretta Weatherly, 49, of Orange, which is east of Houston.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Cessna Citation business jet. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
