A story out of Odessa, Texas, reveals just how badly things can go wrong in small, private planes. While the vast majority of private plane flights end safely, this one in a West Texas neighborhood ended in tragedy when the plane crashed on Tuesday. It left both the passenger and the pilot dead and caused a huge fire at the crash site.
The ensuring fire injured one woman at the scene.
According to witnesses, the plane seemed to be struggling to gain altitude soon after it took off from an airport in Odessa. As the plane continued to try to climb, it hit a power line. The plane quickly spiraled toward the ground and eventually crashed in an alleyway at roughly 7am.
According to Odessa Fire Rescue Chief Jason Cotton, the crash set two mobile homes on fire as well as several outbuildings. The women who was injured was rescued when her mobile home caught fire and sent to the hospital for medical treatment.
The pilot was identified as 48-year-old Joseph Vincent Summa, and the passenger was 49-year-old Joleen Cavaretta Weatherly.
While it’s a tragic story, readers should rest assured that crashes like these are uncommon. On average, the United States experiences hundreds of crashes every year, with somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 overall accidents taking place every year. Out of the hundreds of crashes seen each year, however, only a small number result in fatalities. For example, in 2022, there were 222 fatal accidents involving aviation aircraft. Per 100,000 flight hours, data shows that there are somewhere between 1.02 and 1.4 accidents every year.
The plane that crashed in Odessa was reportedly a Cessna Citation business jet. Investigations are ongoing into how the plane failed. No further information has yet been issued to the public.
