Two people were seriously injured after a plane crashed onto a parking lot in Hawthorne early Friday morning.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, a Piper PA-24-250 crashed at around 12:35 a.m.
The crash occurred at Hawthorne Boulevard and 126th Street near Hawthorne and El Segundo boulevards.
"NTSB is investigating the crash of a Piper PA-24-250 around 12:35 a.m. Pacific Time in Hawthorne, California. The preliminary information we have is the plane crashed shortly after taking off from Hawthorne Municipal Airport under unknown circumstances," the NTSB said in a statement.
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The plane burst into flames, leaving behind wreckage.
“Actively engulfed in flames, conscious, his left leg was mangled,” said Gerald Johnson, who witnessed the crash.”He was in flames, and his head was bleeding profusely.”
Two people were in the plane when it came crashing down and had to be pulled from the wreckage and were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
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The plane appeared to have been headed to the Hawthorne Airport. It is registered to someone who lives in Culver City.
The investigation is ongoing.