1 dies as small plane crashes into homes

MOSS BEACH, CA — One person died and another was airlifted to a hospital in serious condition after a small plane crashed into two homes and a pickup truck near Half Moon Bay Airport on November 18.

The first reports of a small-plane crash in Moss Beach came in around 11:20 am, and firefighting crews responded to the 1000 block of Park Way.

Two people were aboard the plane, a single-engine Cessna 172, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, which will investigate the crash.

The aircraft crashed about 1½ miles from the airport, hitting two houses and a pickup truck before coming to rest at the second home it hit, said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Battalion Chief David Cosgrave.

One person in the plane was pronounced dead at the scene. The other, who appeared to be a man, was flown to Stanford Medical Center by a California Highway Patrol helicopter.

FAA officials said the plane had taken off on November 18 from Sacramento Executive Airport and was headed to Half Moon Bay Airport when the crash occurred.

Cynthia Trujillo, who lives at one of the homes the aircraft hit, said no one inside her house was injured.