Business jet crashes in California killing four

January 25, 2006

At McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, California, United States, a Cessna 560 twin engine jet skidded off the runway and burst into flames immediately after. Four people were killed in the accident.

The Associated Press reports that the plane had run through a barricade and fell down a 100-150 foot cliff, which left parts of the plane in a trail behind it. It then hit the side of the Carlsbad Airport Self-Storage building before it came to a stop in a twisted metal ball of flame.

One of the victims was Janet Shafran who was the wife of Ketchum City Councilman Steven Shafran. The Union Leader, a Manchester, New Hampshire newspaper, also reports that another one of the victims was Frank H. Jellinek, Jr., of Hampton, N.H. According to the Union Leader, Jellinek was one of the state's most prominent corporate executives. Jellinek Jr. was chairman emeritus of Fisher Scientific in Hampton since Aug. 2, 2004.

By the end of the day Tuesday, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office had not yet confirmed the identities of the two pilots who were also killed. They are believed to be local residents.