Small plane crashes at Pomona Dragstrip during NHRA championship finals; 4 people injured

By Marilyn Kalfus

Small plane crashes at Pomona Dragstrip during NHRA championship finals; 4 people injured

Four people were injured after a small plane apparently trying to land at Brackett Field Airport in La Verne crashed into a large RV along the Pomona Dragstrip on Sunday morning near thousands of spectators watching hot rod races.

The crash happened around 11:10 a.m. at the 2700 block of Fairplex Drive, adjacent to the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

It's unclear what caused the single-engine Piper PA-32 to crash. The Federal Aviation Administration said it likely will have a preliminary report on Monday.

The airplane struck several vehicles on the ground, but no bystanders were hit or injured. The pilot and three occupants of the airplane all suffered moderate to critical non-life-threatening injuries, and were being treated at a nearby hospital, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Torres.

No fire was seen, but fuel spilled all over the area. The plane crash happened during the first round of Top Fuel eliminations. The races were delayed because of the crash and the cars were removed from the drag strip.

An estimated 10,000 people were attending the National Hot Rod Association championship drag racing finals, which was placed on hold. Racing was scheduled to resume at 1 p.m.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were on their way to conduct an investigation into the crash on Sunday afternoon.

Staff writer Tim Haddock contributed to this report.

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