A tragic incident occurred when a small plane crashed in a residential area in Odessa, Texas, resulting in the deaths of both the pilot and a passenger, with a woman on the ground sustaining injuries from the subsequent fire. The plane reportedly faced difficulties gaining altitude after departing from an Odessa airport and collided with a power line before crashing in an alley around 7 a.m. Sheriff Mike Griffis noted that the pilot seemed to have attempted to steer clear of the nearby houses as the plane went down.
Following the crash, there were explosions leading to a large fire on the ground, damaging mobile homes, outbuildings, vehicles, fences, and a nearby restaurant. According to Odessa Fire Rescue Chief Jason Cotton, the injured woman had to be rescued from one of the burning mobile homes and was promptly transported to a hospital for treatment.
The individuals on board the ill-fated flight were identified as pilot Joseph Vincent Summa, 48, from Bellaire, a suburb of Houston, and passenger Joleen Cavaretta Weatherly, 49, from Orange, located east of Houston. The aircraft involved in the crash was reported as a Cessna Citation business jet by the Federal Aviation Administration. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will conduct an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
