Two people died when a small Cessna Skyhawk aircraft crashed and caught fire on a runway at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (MYF) in San Diego, on the evening of September 7, 2026.
According to a report by the San Diego Police Department, the crash was reported at approximately 17:20 local time. The incident occurred on the Labor Day holiday, when most airport shops and businesses were closed.
Rescue was not possible
At a press conference attended by local media, San Diego Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief Brian Raines told reporters that the aircraft was heavily damaged by the time that crews reached the scene, making it impossible to extricate anyone on board.
Raines stressed that there was no risk of the fire spreading beyond the crash site, and that a contractor had been called to clean up spilled jet fuel on the runway. He confirmed the two people aboard the aircraft had died, though their identities have not yet been released.
Witnesses describe a rapid sequence of events
A nearby resident who had been watching aircraft from the top floor of a parking garage told the Los Angeles Times that he saw the plane appear to tilt to the right as it came in to land, with its wing striking the ground. He said that the front of the aircraft caught fire within seconds of impact and that he had not seen any smoke coming from the plane before it hit.
Two people working in a nearby hangar told FOX 5 San Diego that they heard a boom and saw flames rapidly engulf what they described as a small, four-seater Cessna. Both ran toward the aircraft with fire extinguishers, but said that the flames had spread too quickly, engulfing the plane within an estimated 90 seconds.
One of the witnesses, who worked at the airport, said that the aircraft appeared to have been practicing touch-and-go maneuvers, a training exercise in which a pilot lands and immediately takes off again without coming to a full stop. Investigators have not confirmed whether the aircraft was taking off or landing at the time of the crash.
Airport closed, federal investigation launched
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) immediately closed the airport following the crash, with no timeline given for reopening.
Raines said that the decision on when to reopen would be made in coordination with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the airport, depending on what is needed for the investigation.
The NTSB is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash.
Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport is a general aviation facility serving private, corporate, charter, air ambulance, law enforcement, fire rescue, flight training, and light cargo operations.