Three Dead in Small Plane Crash in Silicon Valley

[gvdz]

By Ryan Flinn

Feb. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Three people died aboard a small plane that crashed today in a residential block of the Silicon Valley city of East Palo Alto, California, police said.

The deceased were aboard the aircraft, and no other injuries have been reported, John Chalmers, a captain at the East Palo Alto Police Department, said in an interview.

The crash knocked out power citywide in nearby Palo Alto and left Stanford Hospital and Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital operating on emergency power, according to Stanford University’s Web site.

“The plane, when taking off, struck a power tower, causing power outages throughout the area,” Chalmers said. “One of the wings came off, and hit a residential structure.”

The crash set two homes and several cars on fire, Harold Schapelhouman, fire chief of nearby Menlo Park. The area has been evacuated, he said.

The Cessna 310 took off from Palo Alto Airport shortly before 8 a.m. local time, said Carl Honaker, director of airports for Santa Clara County. The crash site is about a mile northwest of the airport and about 30 miles south of San Francisco.

“It’s foggy but air pilots that are instrument-rated have no problem taking off in those conditions,” Honaker said.

The names of the victims weren’t immediately released, and the Federal Aviation Administration was on site.

Facebook Inc.’s Palo Alto headquarters lost power. Users’ ability to access the site is unaffected, the social-networking company said.

Stanford University is about 4 miles southwest of the crash site. The campus Web site said operating-room cases in progress at its hospitals are continuing, though nonemergency cases are on hold until further notice.

[embm]

tat sux rip

[dR3]

RIP

[Dark Blue]

thats sad r.i.p