Tesla Motors CEO: 3 employees killed in California plane crash

Menlo Park firemen look at the scene of a small plane that crashed into a house in East Palo Alto, Calif., Wednesday.

EAST PALO ALTO, California — The three people killed on board a small plane that went down in a Northern California neighborhood were all employees of Tesla Motors Inc.

The twin-engine Cessna 310 crashed in a residential area of East Palo Alto on Wednesday morning after hitting some power lines. It had just taken off from Palo Alto Airport in heavy fog.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirms that three employees of the electric car manufacturer were aboard the plane, but would not release their identities. Authorities also have not identified the victims.

The plane is registered to Air Unique Inc. of Santa Clara, and state records show that Doug Bourn owns the company. A Tesla spokesman says Bourn is a senior electrical engineer.

The crash sparked several fires that are now under control. There are no reports of injury on the ground.