Pilot Killed In Fiery Plane Crash Into Shopping Center Parking Lot

Plano, Texas Fire Department Lieutenant Daniel Daly has confirmed the disturbing news.

The pilot of a single-engine aircraft that crash-landed in a shopping center recently has died.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said that "the pilot was the only person onboard the small Mooney M20, which crashed north of the Air Park-Dallas Airport in Plano, Texas, around 6 p.m. CT."

Daly said that the plane "did not land on or collide with anything."

At the time of writing, the identity of the pilot has not been released, and it is not clear what caused the crash.

Witness Corban Garcia recalled the horrific series of events that led to the pilot being pronounced dead:

"I looked up to the left and saw a huge plume of smoke," Garcia said. "Honestly, at first I thought it was a car fire until I saw the tail of the airplane, then I was shocked."

I would have been too.