Two dead in west Texas plane crash that started fire

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A small plane crashed in a west Texas neighborhood Tuesday, killing the pilot and a passenger and starting a large fire on the ground that injured a woman, authorities said.

Witnesses said the plane struggled to gain altitude after taking off from an airport in Odesa and then struck a power line before crashing into an alley around 7 a.m., according to authorities. Both people on board the plane died.

“It’s obvious the pilot was trying to avoid the houses,” Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said.

The large fire on the ground came after several explosions after the plane crashed, he said.

In addition to several mobile homes, some outbuildings in backyards caught fire, Odessa Fire Chief Jason Cotton said. The woman who was injured had to be rescued from one of the burning mobile homes and was taken to the hospital, he said. Vehicles, fences and a restaurant were also damaged in the city of about 114,000.

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the pilot as Joseph Vincent Summa, 48, of the Houston suburb of Bellaire, and the passenger as Joleen Cavaretta Weatherly, 49, of Orange, which is east of Houston.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Cessna Citation business jet. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

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