Above photo: Jan. 03 – Two people were killed and 19 more injured when a small plane crashed into a manufacturing business near the Fullerton Municipal Airport in California Thursday, January 2, 2025.

Fullerton, CA, Jan. 03 – Two people were killed and 19 more injured when a small plane crashed into a manufacturing business near the Fullerton Municipal Airport in California Thursday.

A tragic plane crash in Fullerton, California, on Thursday, January 2, 2025 claimed the lives of a Huntington Beach man and his teenage daughter. The victims, identified through social media tributes as Pascal Reid and his daughter Kelly, were aboard a home-built aircraft at the time of the incident, according to coverage from the Los Angeles Times, KABC-TV, and KTLA.

“Yesterday, our soccer family suffered an unimaginable loss,” the Huntington Beach High School girls soccer team shared in an Instagram post on Friday. “Kelly had a natural gift for caring for others and always put their needs before her own. She will be profoundly missed. Her father was her biggest supporter, attending every game and brimming with pride for his daughter.”

The Fullerton Police Department has yet to confirm the identities of the victims, awaiting formal identification from the Orange County coroner’s office, a spokesperson told USA TODAY.

Workers Injured in Crash

The crash caused significant damage when the single-engine Van’s RV-10 experimental plane struck the roof of a furniture manufacturing facility near Fullerton Municipal Airport. Nineteen workers inside the building sustained injuries; 11 were hospitalized, while eight received treatment at the scene, officials reported.

Footage from the incident showed a plume of smoke rising from the crash site. Emergency responders evacuated nearby businesses due to the fire, with over 100 people displaced from the building owned by Michael Nicholas Designs, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A Short, Fatal Flight

The ill-fated flight departed Fullerton Municipal Airport at 2:07 p.m. but remained airborne for only two minutes. “The pilot reported he needed to return to the airport,” said Eliott Simpson, senior aviation accident investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), during a briefing on KTLA.

Audio from the air traffic control tower reveals the pilot attempted to land on Runway 24 before the transmission abruptly ends with someone exclaiming, “Oh, my God.”

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records list Pascal Reid as a private pilot and builder of the plane. The NTSB has transported the wreckage to a secure location for analysis, with a preliminary report expected within 30 days. An initial FAA report described the crash as occurring under “unknown circumstances,” according to the Associated Press.

Community Mourns

Friends and classmates gathered at First Christian Church on Friday to honor Kelly and her father. Maya Dadkis, a friend of Kelly, told KABC that the loss was a stark reminder of life’s fragility. “Seeing her leave us so suddenly is heartbreaking, but her memory is bringing everyone together,” she shared.

“She was that person who made you feel at ease just by walking into the room. She was always so happy,” Dadkis added.

A Pattern of Crashes in Fullerton

This marks the second aviation accident in Fullerton in recent months. On November 25, 2024, another small aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, colliding with a tree during an emergency landing attempt, reported the Orange County Register.

Fullerton Mayor Pro Tem Shana Charles called for increased safety measures at the airport, including improved pilot education and safer entryways for runways. “We must prioritize the safety of everyone—both in the air and on the ground,” she told the Los Angeles Times.