A drag racing competition was interrupted in California on Sunday when a small-engine plane crashed near the race track.
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) was hosting its finals on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 17, when a plane crashed in a parking lot near the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip while two of its athletes “were preparing for their crucial first-round race” a statement on the organization’s website explains.
According to the NHRA, the plane was attempting to land at Brackett Field Airport, which is west of the track. The plane was a single-engine Piper PA-32 with four people on board, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in an alert.
Video from the scene shared by ABC News shows the aircraft flying at a low altitude before a loud thud is heard after crashing as event goers watch nearby. One man is heard saying, “An airplane just crashed,” while a woman says, “Airplane! Airplane!”
“We just saw the plane with the smoke behind it, and the next time we looked up, it was already on the ground,” witness Elaine Hernandez told ABC News.
While the FAA said that the aircraft struck two vehicles and a trailer, ABC News reports that at least five cars and three RVs were damaged from the impact.
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Although no one on the ground was injured, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said in an update on X that three passengers were transported to local area hospitals with “moderate to severe injuries.”
Los Angeles County Fire Department public information officer Jonathan Torres told The Los Angeles Times that jet fuel spilled after the crash, requiring hazardous materials crews to respond to the scene. The FAA continues to investigate, and no cause for the crash has been released.
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After a short delay, competition resumed, with the NHRA expressing in its statement that it “has been working closely with the Pomona Police Department and L.A. County Fire Department and has been guided to continue racing.”
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PEOPLE reached out to the Los Angeles County Fire Department for comment but did not immediately hear back.
