Another horrifying air tragedy in the United States claimed two lives at a corporate airport in San Diego on Monday evening (US time), just hours after a disastrous accident involving an Amazon cargo plane at Miami International Airport killed at least five people on Sunday. According to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) and San Diego Police Department, a small Cessna plane erupted into flames upon crash-landing onto one of three airstrips at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport around 5:21 pm local time.
San Diego airport shut down after fatal crash
In a social media post shared on X, SDFD announced that the airport north of downtown San Diego would be temporarily closed in the aftermath of the tragic incident. Amid ongoing emergency operations, about 30 personnel from the department were reported responding to the development.
The City of San Diego’s official X handle re-posted SDFD’s online update, highlighting that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the immediate airport closure.
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Chief Brian Raines has since revealed that while the fire was extinguished, the plane debris is still at the crash site. Speaking at a news conference, the SDFD official disclosed that crews had extinguished the fire by 7 pm on Monday, but they continued working on an active fuel leak afterward.
The @FAANews has closed Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport while fire-rescue crews work the scene. https://t.co/FbM8jEQ3Tr— City of San Diego (@CityofSanDiego) September 8, 2026
Sharing more insight into the fatal tragedy, Raines revealed that the unprecedented crash and the subsequent fire had left the Cessna plane heavily damaged. Authorities were unable to extricate any of the victims, even as extinguishing the huge fire remained a priority. As detailed in the NBC San Diego report, a small fuel leak, which the airport officials and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department were working to clean up, caused the catastrophic levels of damage on Monday.
At the time of writing, the victims of the San Diego crash had yet to be officially named and identified. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, a busy general aviation airport, has been classified by the FAA as a “reliever airport” for San Diego International Airport (SAN). As a result, it serves general aviation aircraft that might otherwise use a congested air carrier airport, according to the City of San Diego’s official website.
Given its functionality as a general aviation airport, private, corporate, charter, air ambulance, law enforcement, fire rescue, flight training and light cargo operate at this hub.
ATC audio sheds light on San Diego crash
According to an Air Traffic Control (ATC) audio recording published on ATC.com, a separate plane’s pilot can be heard in conversation with the tower ahead of what appears to be a landing attempt a
“We just had an accident on the airport, and continue the downwind,” the tower officials are heard speaking in the audio recording. “I know the airport’s going to be closed, just let me know what you want to do.”
BREAKING 🚨🚨#SanDiego / #California
Reports of a small Cessna plane crash at Montgomery Field in San Diego, CA. Further details not known at this time pic.twitter.com/fuoEBnT1FL— OC Scanner 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (@OC_Scanner) September 8, 2026
As the plane was engulfed with flames at the Montgomery airport, billowing black smoke could be seen rising over the airport in pictures of the incident shared online. A few eyewitnesses in the vicinity heard the crash, while some others tried to help by getting fire extinguishers to the crash site, according to NBC San Diego. However, their attempts to salvage the situation ultimately failed.
Melizza Cardiel and her fiance Mauricio Godinez were working in a hangar when they heard a “big boom,” as shared with NBC San Diego. Godinez told the local US news outlet that by the time they got back to help with fire extinguishers in their hands, the flames had already engulfed the plane’s wings.
“The wings were melting, caving in,” Godinez told the San Diego news outlet.
Further details are awaited, as it remains unclear whether the plane was taking off or landing at the time of the crash.
Sidney Van Ness, a pilot flying in the area at the time, also witnessed the incident’s aftermath while approaching the airport with his son.
He said, “We were approaching this airport and flying in the downwind, and my son looked out the window and saw a fire. We started talking to the tower and they said the airfield was closed and we got diverted over to Gillespie a few miles away,” as quoted by ABC News’ San Diego division.
So. A plane that I have around 60 hours in is balled up off 28L and on fire. Apparently the crew didn’t get out. Odds are pretty good I know the instructor onboard 🙁 pic.twitter.com/f6lZmIXs2G— El Dub (@SunCoastChief) September 8, 2026
2 plane disasters in hours
The San Diego crash happened within 24 hours of the heart-rending Miami crash on Sunday. The NTSB said Monday that the tragedy was caused by a Boeing 767-300 aircraft, an Amazon-branded cargo jet, overrunning a runway at Miami International Airport.
Officials further disclosed that five people were killed during the incident. Some of them were travelling in a van transporting a cleaning crew, and others were riding in an SUV outside the airport when the unprecedented happened.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference that two crew members were inside the aircraft at the time of the crash. Meanwhile, a phone video obtained by NBC South Florida showed a crew member jumping out of the plane after the deadly crash.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement that the plane was operated by the company 21 Air. The company’s CEO, Keith Winters, on his part, said in a message on its website that 21 Air is cooperating with federal authorities.