NewsLocal News

Actions

Santee mayor concerned about flights over area after plane crash

Santee mayor flight path
Posted at 7:55 PM, Oct 13, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-13 22:55:58-04

SANTEE, Calif. (KGTV) — Two days after a small plane crashed into a Santee neighborhood, the city's mayor is now raising concerns about flight paths in the area.

The pilot and a UPS driver were killed, and two homes were destroyed.

When Santee Mayor John Minto visited the plane crash scene on Monday, it brought memories of the 1978 PSA Flight 182 crash in North Park.

"So that concerns me that so many people were there," Minto said

The city has since put up a fence around two homes decimated in the crash on the corner of Greencastle and Jeremy Streets.

Minto said at least ten homes were impacted.

"I want people to feel safe in our city, that planes aren't falling out of the sky because planes just don't do that... very often, and there's usually a reason for it," Minto said.

Officials said the pilot took off from Yuma, Arizona, heading for Montgomery Field in Kearny Mesa.

The NTSB and FAA are still investigating what led to the crash.

Still, Minto says the flight path to Montgomery raises concerns about the Gillespie Field airport near Santee and El Cajon.

We have planes that fly over all the time in Santee because of Gillispie Field.

He said he's seen planes training for air shows make sharp turns and fly too low over neighborhoods.

"When they do that, they... not even hundreds of feet, probably, maybe a hundred, two hundred feet tops over some of these homes," the mayor said.

Minto said he plans to speak with the Board of Supervisors since the property is owned by the county in hopes of raising awareness about the issue.

"Take the proper flight path," Minto said.

Monday's accident is the second plane crash in Santee within the past three years. In 2018, two people were killed after a small plane crashed just outside of Gillespie Field.

RELATED STORIES: