Four people were injured after a single-engine aircraft crashed at the Pomona Dragstrip in California, local authorities reported.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed the crash on X, stating that it had occurred at the Pomona Fairplex during the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag finals, which attracted a large crowd to the area.
AIRCRAFT EMERGENCY | 2700 Fairplex Dr. | #Pomona | At 11:10 AM #LACoFD units responded to a single engine plane down. 3 passengers transported to local area hospitals with moderate to severe injuries.
— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) November 17, 2024
The aircraft, a Piper PA-32, registered as N617ET, took off from Apple Valley, California on November 17, 2024, at 10:40 local time. The aircraft was flying to La Verne, California, according to FlightAware data.
The crash happened when the aircraft was approaching runway 26R at Brackett Field. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Piper PA-32 struck two vehicles and a trailer. Four people were on board the aircraft at the time of the accident.
“The pilot and three occupants of the airplane all suffered minor to moderate non-life-threatening injuries, and are being treated at a nearby hospital,” the Pomona Police Department reported the same day of the accident, adding that no fatalities had occurred as a result of the incident.
The NHRA issued a statement on X where it said racing had been paused due to the crash but was resumed at around 13:00 local time.
“The NHRA has been working closely with the Pomona Police Department and LA County Fire Department and has been guided to continue racing,” the NHRA announced in a separate statement on November 17, 2024.
The FAA was notified and investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the collision, the Pomona Police Department statement continued.