Deadly Cessna Citation II crash in San Diego devastates military housing, triggers mass evacuation
SAN DIEGO (May 22, 2025) — A Cessna Citation II aircraft crashed into a San Diego military housing neighborhood early Thursday, killing multiple people on board and igniting a trail of destruction that damaged at least 10 homes and left over 100 residents temporarily displaced, authorities confirmed.
The Cessna Citation II crash in San Diego occurred at approximately 3:45 a.m. local time in the Murphy Canyon area. The jet, which can seat up to 10 people, was engulfed in heavy fog as it approached Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. Authorities say visibility was near zero at the time of the incident, and the aircraft may have struck a power line before slamming into the ground.
Assistant San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy described the crash site as a war zone, with burning vehicles, collapsed roofs, and aviation fuel cascading down the street, igniting widespread fires. “You could barely see in front of you,” Eddy said. “The combination of poor visibility and jet fuel made it extremely dangerous.”
While the precise number of individuals on board remains unconfirmed, Eddy stated that all fatalities were limited to passengers and crew aboard the aircraft. Remarkably, no residents in the neighborhood were injured despite the direct hit on at least one house and damage to roughly a dozen others.
The aircraft originated from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, just outside Manhattan, on Wednesday night. It made a refueling stop in Wichita, Kansas, and was scheduled to land at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport at 3:47 a.m. Thursday, according to flight tracking data from FlightAware. These details were reported by The Associated Press.
The FAA has confirmed that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will take the lead on the investigation. Authorities will examine flight data, cockpit communications, weather reports, and maintenance logs to determine the cause of the crash.
The crash’s impact was swift and severe. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl described the scene as catastrophic. “With the jet fuel going down the street and everything on fire at once, it was pretty horrific to see,” Wahl said.
More than 50 officers responded within minutes, evacuating residents as smoke and flames engulfed the neighborhood. At least 100 people were displaced and relocated to an elementary school nearby. First responders continued battling flare-ups for hours as the smell of jet fuel lingered across the neighborhood.
Christopher Moore, a resident one block from the crash site, said he and his wife were awakened by a loud explosion. “We grabbed our kids and ran,” Moore said. “On our way out, we saw a car fully engulfed in flames—it was terrifying.”
In a rare moment of relief, police rescued three husky puppies from one of the damaged homes and wheeled them to safety in a wagon.
Murphy Canyon, located near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, is a residential hub for military families. Its proximity to multiple airports has made it vulnerable to aviation incidents in the past. In 2021, a twin-engine aircraft crashed nearby, killing the pilot and a UPS driver. In 2008, a U.S. Marine Corps fighter jet crash killed four people in their home in University City. That accident was attributed to a combination of mechanical failure and pilot error.
This latest crash is part of a troubling pattern of aircraft incidents impacting residential areas across the United States. Earlier this year, a devastating crash in a Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood made headlines when a medical transport jet exploded into a fireball after takeoff. That incident also destroyed multiple homes and underscored the dangers of low-flying aircraft over populated zones. Read more about the Philadelphia neighborhood crash.
Thursday’s Cessna Citation II crash in San Diego again raises concerns about the safety of flight routes over urban environments. Investigators continue to comb through the wreckage, retrieve flight recorders, and conduct interviews to determine what led to the fatal descent.
As of Thursday evening, the names of the victims have not been released. Emergency crews remain at the scene, assisting displaced residents and assessing structural hazards.
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