In Odessa, Texas, a tragic plane crash on Tuesday morning claimed the lives of the pilot and a passenger while igniting a large fire that injured a woman, authorities reported. Witnesses recounted that the small aircraft struggled to gain altitude shortly after its takeoff from an Odessa airport. It subsequently struck a power line and crashed into an alley around 7 a.m., according to officials. Both individuals on board were killed in the crash.
Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis noted that the pilot had evidently tried to avoid hitting nearby houses. The crash triggered a couple of explosions, resulting in a substantial fire on the ground. Odessa Fire Rescue Chief Jason Cotton added that the blaze spread to several mobile homes and outbuildings situated in backyards. The injured woman was rescued from one of the burning mobile homes and transported to a hospital. The incident also inflicted damage on nearby vehicles, fences, and even a restaurant in the city, which has a population of about 114,000.
The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the victims as Joseph Vincent Summa, 48, from Bellaire, a suburb of Houston, and Joleen Cavaretta Weatherly, 49, from Orange, east of Houston. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the plane was a Cessna Citation business jet. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will be conducting thorough investigations into the cause of the crash.
