A single-engine plane crashed near Pomona, California, on Sunday, injuring the pilot and three other people on board and disrupting a big NHRA drag racing event.
The jet crashed as it attempted to land at an airfield near the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, according to authorities. According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the incident occurred around 11:10 a.m. on the 2700 block of Fairplex Drive, which is adjacent to Pomona’s drag strip.
The firefighters said that the reason for the crash was unknown, but the plane’s four occupants were hurt. The Pomona Police Department reported that all four were hospitalized with minor to moderate injuries that were not life-threatening.
According to Pomona police, “The airplane struck several vehicles on the ground, but no bystanders were struck or injured,” according to CBS News.
The NHRA drag racing event’s X page stated, “RACING UPDATE: Racing is currently on hold at the In-N-Out Burger #NHRAFinals.” Stay tuned for more updates.”
The NHRA Safety Safari and medical team reacted to the collision, providing rapid assistance as needed. According to CBS News, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the event and has identified the plane as a single-engine Piper PA-32.
In an official statement, the NHRA said, “We are investigating an apparent small plane crash near the dragstrip in Pomona while it was attempting to land at nearby Brackett Field Airport on Sunday.” Our thoughts are with all those concerned in this catastrophe.
According to an NHRA update, the championship show on FS1 has been pushed back from 4 pm ET to 6 pm ET.
Reference: Small plane crash leaves 4 injured in California, NHRA drag race finals interrupted