Murphy Canyon plane crash highlights San Diego’s airspace issues

A crash scene at Montgomery Field File photo courtesy San Diego Fire-Rescue With multiple airports crowded skies and congested neighborhoods below flight paths San Diego s airspace has proven to be a recipe for accident Thursday s crash of a Cessna that killed multiple passengers and crew is only the latest example of the accidents that have claimed lives both in the air and on the ground over the years At least in the scenario of the latest crash of the plane on its approach to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport no one on the ground was hurt despite damage to multiple homes While other cities face their own airport challenges San Diego is unique It has a mix of military commercial and civilian aircraft and the communication and tracking challenges it presents And it has airports in close proximity like San Diego International Airport still Lindbergh Field to locals just across the bay from the Naval Air Station North Island Even Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport has not been without its share of accidents For example in the pilot of a Beech Bonanza shared engine failure shortly after takeoff from Montgomery The plane crashed into a Clairemont home and killed both aboard Fire destroyed the home the Union-Tribune shared San Diego s worst and arguably majority of famous air tragedy however was the mid-air collision between a Pacific Southwest Airlines jetliner and a privately owned Cessna in that killed passengers and crew on the jet and seven on the ground Two aboard the private plane were also killed That crash of PSA Flight still haunts the city Besides the loss of life more than homes were damaged or destroyed in North Park A plaque to remember the casualties where the plane struck was mounted in the sidewalk at Dwight and Nile streets last year Another memorial is at St Augustine High School Then there are the military crashes The the greater part current was the E A- Growler that plummeted into San Diego Bay after the two crewmembers aboard ejected The pilot and radar operator were rescued by fishing boat and the jet was later recovered Selected military crashes have proven to be deadly to those on the ground In a F A- enroute to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar crashed into a home after the pilot ejected Four family members in the home one of several destroyed by the crash were killed The Marine Corps blamed pilot error and mechanical failures for the accident