A tragic incident occurred in a West Texas neighborhood on Tuesday, when a small plane crashed, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and a passenger and causing a large ground fire that injured a woman. Authorities reported that the plane took off from an Odessa airport around 7 a.m. but struggled to gain altitude. Witnesses said the aircraft collided with a power line before crashing in an alley.
Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis noted, “It’s obvious the pilot attempted to avoid the houses,” implying a valiant effort to mitigate further damage. However, the crash triggered a large fire, exacerbated by a couple of explosions from the impact. Odessa Fire Rescue Chief Jason Cotton detailed the aftermath, stating that several mobile homes and outbuildings in backyards were engulfed in flames.
Rescue teams saved a woman from one of the burning mobile homes, and she was subsequently transported to a hospital for treatment. Additionally, the fire inflicted damage on nearby vehicles, fences, and a restaurant in Odessa, a city with a population of about 114,000.
The victims were identified by the Texas Department of Public Safety as the pilot, Joseph Vincent Summa, 48, from Bellaire, a Houston suburb, and the passenger, Joleen Cavaretta Weatherly, 49, of Orange, located east of Houston. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the aircraft as a Cessna Citation business jet. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are set to investigate the cause of the crash.
