Two Reported Loss; No Injuries On Ground

ANN REALTIME UPDATE 01.12.07 2355 EST -- The Cessna Citation business jet that went down near Van Nuys Airport earlier today was returning to the field for unknown reasons when it crashed north of the airport, according to sources at the scene.

LAFD Assistant Chief Terrance J. Manning stated the Citation, registered to SunQuest Executive Air Charter, was fully loaded with fuel when it impacted near a neighborhood a half mile north of Van Nuys Airport. The wreckage caught fire, but the flames were quickly extinguished by emergency response teams.

FAA records show the plane as N77215, a 1996 Williams FJ44-powered Citation 525.

The plane is believed to have been on a repositioning flight to Long Beach. Several witnesses say the plane's nose baggage door was open or missing shortly after the aircraft took off from Van Nuys.

FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the pilot told controllers the planer needed to return to Van Nuys, but no further information on the nature of that problem was available.

Original Report

1440 EST -- A Cessna Citation on a flight from Van Nuys to Long Beach, CA, crashed on take-off Friday, killing both people on board.

Initial reports indicate the baggage door on the nose of the aircraft opened on take-off. The pilot called the tower, asking to return to the runway just before the crash.

The aircraft burned in a field about three-quarters of a mile north of the field, according fire officials.

No one on the ground was hurt and no structures on the ground were damaged, according to KTLA TV News.

There's no immediate indication of the aircraft owner or the exact model of Cessna Citation involved.

FMI: www.faa.gov