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Pilot killed after small plane crashes in Kearny Mesa area

Posted at 6:43 AM, Feb 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-21 21:28:42-05

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Authorities have identified the pilot killed in a plane crash in the Kearny Mesa area Wednesday morning as 61-year-old Dr. John Serocki. 

According to authorities, just after 6:30 a.m., a Cirrus SR22T crashed nose-first in a construction site in the 4400 block of Ruffin Road, blocks away from Montgomery Field.

San Diego Fire-Rescue Department officials confirmed Serocki, who was the plane's lone occupant, died in the crash. Officials said no injuries on the ground were reported.

Fire officials said the pilot appeared to have made an attempt to deploy a parachute, but it did not fully open.

TIMELINE: Small plane crashes in San Diego County

Officials did not immediately confirm the plane's destination, but a witness told 10News the plane took off from nearby Montgomery Field and was heading east when it went down.

Due to the emergency response, Ruffin Road is closed between Ridgehaven Court and Balboa Avenue. 

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FAA investigators, as well as the county Medical Examiner, were heading to the scene.

The plane was registered to Serocki, who is an orthopedic surgeon based at Scripps La Jolla Hospital. 

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