Plane Crashes Near Odessa’s Schlemeyer Field

ODESSA, TX — A plane crashed near Schlemeyer Field in Odessa this morning at approximately 7 a.m. Eyewitnesses reported on Facebook that the aircraft made "jet noises" before crashing into a trailer park and a local business, Dewey’s Breakfast Shop, located at 550 E. Yukon Rd. The metal building housing the restaurant is situated just off the departure end of Runway 16 at Schlemeyer Field.

CBS7 reported a fire near the intersection of 68th Street and Stevenson Avenue, in the same block as Dewey’s, nearly directly behind the restaurant. The station published photos showing a metal garage with two burning cars.

The City of Odessa confirmed that Odessa Fire Rescue responded to an aircraft incident in the 6800 block of Alderfer Avenue at 7 a.m. Upon arrival, crews encountered heavy smoke and fire affecting several mobile homes and shop buildings.

Significant damage was also reported to power lines and a business on Yukon Road. Bystanders stated that a small aircraft had taken off from Schlemeyer Field. Preliminary damage assessments suggest the aircraft struck power lines on Yukon Road and traveled almost an entire block before crashing in an alley near 68th Street, between Alderfer Avenue and Stevenson Avenue.

Firefighters rescued a woman from a burning trailer home, and she was transported to a hospital.

According to FlightAware, a Cessna Citation II was scheduled to take off at 7 a.m. The aircraft made two pings, one apparently on the ground at the airport and a second one that barely tracked it airborne. The last of the two ADS-B pings showed the Citation jet at 106 knots airspeed at an altitude of 2,750 feet. The plane was scheduled to arrive at Ellington Field in Houston at 8:18 a.m. As of 8:36 a.m., the aircraft had not arrived, according to FlightAware logs. However, there is no confirmation that this was the aircraft involved in the crash.