3 Tesla Motors employees die in East Palo Alto plane crash

Three employees of Tesla Motors Inc. were killed Wednesday morning in the crash of a small plane in East Palo Alto, the electric car maker's chief executive said in a statement.

"We are withholding their identities as we work with the relevant authorities to notify the families," Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, said in a statement.

The plane crashed into a residential neighborhood shortly before 8 a.m., sparking house fires, downing  power lines and damaging several cars, but authorities said no one other than the plane’s three occupants were killed.

"We are working on recovery of the deceased," said Menlo Park Fire Protection Chief Harold Schapelhouman, addressing reporters down the block from where the plane crashed. "We have three dead. They were in the fuselage. There are miraculously no reports of anyone else injured."

The street where the place crashed was dotted with orange cones indicating where parts of the aircraft landed. Bodies covered with yellow blankets lay under a tree.

The Cessna 310 was registered to Air Unique Inc. of Santa Clara, owned by Doug Bourn, 57, a senior electrical engineer at Tesla Motors. It took off from Palo Alto Airport and was headed to Hawthorne, where Tesla has operations. A spokeswoman for the company said it was still seeking information about the crash and could not confirm whether the plane was traveling on company business.

The plane took off in thick fog and hit power lines and a power tower, which collapsed, authorities said. Parts of the plane were strewn over several blocks.

"As tragic as this is, we were very fortunate that no one else got hurt," Schapelhouman said.

A portion of one of the plane’s wings hit an occupied house in front of a day-care center. The center was unscathed but 50% of the house was destroyed, Schapelhouman said.

Other parts of the plane landed on a carport next door, destroying it. The engine of the plane was embedded in the garage wall of yet a third house.

A relative of a woman whose house was burned identified her as Lisa Jones-Smith, who operated a day- care center behind her home. The relative, Bre East, 44, said only one child, an 11-month-old, had arrived for child care when the plane crashed. She said she believed there were seven people inside the house; none were injured.

"Lisa was home at the time," East said. “The neighbors got her out of the house. She was trying to get her own kids to safety." East said she spoke with Jones-Smith by telephone.

"She was very shaken up," East said. "Her sentences were short and gaspy. She told me that the back end of the house is gone and the kids are safe.

"The Lord was on her side, looking out for her today. ... The lucky part is everyone is safe. You can rebuild houses, but not lives."

Several hours after the crash, Smith-Jones was taken to the hospital by paramedics. A relative who would not give her name said Smith-Jones was suffering from elevated blood pressure.

The crash knocked out power for a large area, including Stanford Hospital and Clinics. A spokeswoman for the hospital said non-emergency surgeries and clinic appointments at the hospital were canceled.

-- Maria L. LaGanga in East Palo Alto, Maura Dolan and Alexandra Zavis

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Comments

[Michael Kovalenko]

Very sad news, especially for a company trying so hard to develop clean and alternatives to this dirty transportation era. My heart goes out to the Tesla Motors community who have suffered many setbacks of morale along their long and winding road.

[BluesC]

It is a very sad because people like this are the ones that have had the technology for 20 years to get away from Oil. In a fictional film this would have happened because some greedy people created some conspiracy to keep these men from finishing their car that will make gas fueled cars archaic. Not only no gas but looks better than anything coming out of Detroit! But in the real world the way it is done is put so many regulations on the Elec Car design that it takes decades to get out the electric vehicle that could have been out 10 years ago if they were allowed to release the car on its own merits. So while there "may" still be a conspiracy done through political payoff means to keep the Tesla off the market... the fact remains it will be much harder now with the loss of these great creative men. It is a sad day for the family members and the world. I am sorry they did not live to see their dream come true.

[Paul Burnett]

The story says "The engine of the plane was..." The Cessna 310 is a twin-engine plane - where was the other engine?

[tom]

Eerily reminicent of Dennis Barnhart's death in a new Ferrari the day his IPO closed on Eagle computer in 83.

Condolences to the family and friends.

[Darr247]

My sympathies to the families, friends and coworkers of the deceased.

It will be interesting to see if Tesla tries to claim they were NOT on company business (to avoid liability) or steps up immediately and does the right thing[s] for the families.

[MB]

I like how this piece says they wont release the names then it tells us who owns the plane. Nice. Good work guys!

[ghost446]

Very sad news indeed. God bless the families.

Just wondering if it's Smith-Jones or Jones-Smith? Please proof stories like this before you put them up....

"A relative of a woman whose house was burned identified her as Lisa Jones-Smith"

"Several hours after the crash, Smith-Jones was taken to the hospital by paramedics"

[Michael]

They owe it to their employees and investors to vigorously fight any liability. Most likely, the owner of the airplane had insurance. They should accept whatever the insurance will pay out - which likely will be the limit of the policy - and be done with it. Accidents, unfortunately, happen.

[Jim]

The lord may have been looking out for Bre East but he must have been sleeping on the job when it came to the 3 unfortunate people who were on the plane.
Very sad indeed.

[notsosure]

It is a very sad accident, but I hope a full investigation is conducted, including looking for any foul play. An earlier commenter mentioned something about a greed conspiracy in a fictional film would have an event like this. Have we become that brainwashed? Do you really think that only happens in fictional films? The fact of the matter is, a certain industry stands to lose lots of revenue if electric cars become cheaper and more affordable. Therefore, does a motive exist to prevent them from doing this? Yes. Do bad things happend to good people who try to change the status quo? Yes, it has been this way throughout all of history. People, businesses, and institutions resist change and they will and have commit crimes to prevent it from happening.

[bigpappa2027]

Don't mess with Texas or Saudi... so it seems....

[egidijus kiveris]

God bless the families.Its unforgettable.We are pray for high-minded and man's of distinction .The Dark Povers try to controll people...but its to late.Ligth comming for celebrition.Namaste.

[Doug Earley]

As an instrument rated pilot, I know the dangers and extremely low margin for error associated with flight in the clouds and fog. I just hope that the passengers were fully aware of that danger level that they were assuming, especially for the sake of their survivors.

[leonidas spencer]

any thing that has to do with tesla and his creations will be saught to be destroyed because his inventions and theories were and are meant to empower and liberate people not enslave.