Small plane crash in Hawthorne leaves pilot, passenger critically injured

HAWTHORNE, Calif. - 

Aviation officials said a small single-engine plane crashed in Hawthorne and left the two people on board critically injured.

The fiery crash was reported at approximately 12:40 a.m. Friday along 126th Street, near the intersection of Hawthorne and El Segundo boulevards. The plane crash occurred near a hotel, Hawthorne City Hall, and other homes and businesses.

The plane appeared to be a single-engine Piper Commanche that may have been descending into the Hawthorne Municipal Airport, according to Los Angeles County Fire officials. 

Two people on board, including a man who was pulled out of the wreckage, were hospitalized in critical condition. 

"Myself and a couple of other gentlemen helped pull the man from the wreckage," said witness Gerald Johnson who was charging his electric vehicle near the crash site. .  "I grabbed his right arm while the other guy grabbed his left arm and we pulled him about 25 feet from the wreckage."

"My house is not too far from here," said Raymond Bergara. "This is not real. We shouldn’t have planes falling from the sky."
Only hours before the plane crash, a nearby helicopter made an emergency landing on the 110 Freeway. The helicopter reportedly took off from Hawthorne Airport.

"This is not the first time," said Bergara. "We’ve had several airplanes come down and very close. Someone needs to get fired."

No one on the ground was injured and no buildings were damaged.  

The cause of the crash will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.