Author: KVIA

News Channel 3-12

GOLETA, Calif. – A small private aircraft crashed in an open field just north of the Storke Road offramp on Highway 101 Wednesday afternoon, leaving two professional pilots with major injuries.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the crash occurred around 2:16 p.m. near Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. The aircraft has been identified as a Cirrus SR22 with the tail number N124LZ, registered to LIMA ZULU AIRCRAFT CORP. CNN has confirmed that filmmaker Robert Zemeckis is affiliated with the company. His publicist, Michelle Bega, released a statement saying, “Two professional pilots whom Mr. Zemeckis routinely employs were flying the aircraft. There were no passengers on board.”

Witnesses on Highway 101 reported seeing the plane deploying a parachute before it came nose-down into an open field between Los Carneros Road and Storke Road, on the mountainside of the freeway. Video taken by a passing motorist, Steve Epstein, shows the aircraft already on the ground and burning while bystanders and a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer rushed over a fence to assist the pilots.

Image courtesy of Lindsay Clements

Santa Barbara County Fire Captain Scott Safechuck confirmed that the plane caught fire upon impact, igniting nearby vegetation. Firefighters attacked the flames using hoses from both the freeway and the backside of the hill, extinguishing the fire before it could spread further. Emergency crews used foam and water to suppress the fire while attempting to preserve what little remained of the aircraft for investigators.

Authorities are investigating whether the fire started before or after the crash. A photo obtained by investigators shows the plane intact on the ground before flames engulfed it.

Two occupants, a 29-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, had exited the plane before first responders arrived. They were found just outside the burn area with major injuries and were transported to Cottage Hospital by ground ambulance, with fire personnel on board. Their identities have not yet been released. It remains unclear whether the pilots extricated themselves or were assisted by bystanders.

Flight data shows the Cirrus SR22 departed Santa Barbara Airport at 1:51 p.m., flying along the coastline before turning back toward land and appearing to prepare for a landing when it crashed near the freeway.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation into the crash.

Image courtesy of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office

The crash caused significant traffic delays on northbound Highway 101, with the Storke Road offramp temporarily closed as emergency crews worked the scene. As of late Wednesday afternoon, the offramp had reopened, though congestion persisted.

Image courtesy of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department

This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

(Note: There are multiple stories on this link. Use the small dots below the picture to see them all.)

Heriberto Perez

FORT BLISS, Texas (KVIA) — A group of about 80 Guatemalan migrants were deported from the U.S. today as part of the repatriation flights conducted by the Trump Administration.

Members of U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Defense are conducting these operations.

A C-17 plane took off this morning with most of the migrants handcuffed and shackled for the remainder of the flight due to security reasons, according to a spokesperson with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“This is a significant consequence because, for some people, it takes 30, 60, 90 days and a lot of resources to travel to the southern border, before illegally crossing. We can have you back in your home country in seven hours on a flight like this,” said Border Patrol Special Operations Supervisor Hamid Nikseresht.

Last night, a group of about 70 migrants were deported back to Mexico through the Paso del Norte Bridge from Downtown El Paso to Juárez.

Juárez local media outlets reported most of the migrants were previously in custody at the Otero County Prison Facility.

Most of these 70 migrants were taken to the Mexico federal government’s shelter, Leona Vicario in South Juárez.

Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX(KVIA-TV)-Health insurance is designed to protect you and your family from the costs of the medical services you need when you’re sick or injured. Dr. Alozie joins us live to discuss what you need to know about health insurance. 

Nicole Ardila

At the Doña Ana County Fairgrounds, wild horses and burros that once roamed free are now waiting to go to a loving home as part of the Bureau of Land Management’s adoption event. 

Brought from different states, 80 wild animals are up for adoption, and you can take up to four of them home.

Ranging from 2 to 4 years old, the horses and burros — or donkeys — are untrained. They’re fully vaccinated, dewormed, and tested negative for the Coggins blood test. 

The BLM is also offering people $1,000 per animal as an incentive.

“And the $1,000 is just to help defray some of the the training, feeding, veterinary costs and just make it a little more enticing for a person to come in and adopt a wild horse or burro,” said program manager Pat Williams.

On Friday, bidding starts at noon. 

After that, whatever animals are left, are available on a first come, first serve basis for $125 each.

All you need to do is apply on-site and bring your own trailer. 

Anyone is eligible as long as they’re over 18 years old, a U.S. Citizen, has no record of animal abuse, and has a minimum of 400 square feet per animal.

Williams has owned several horses, and he recommends to first-time horse and donkey owner a lot of patience. 

He wanted others to know why bringing one of these animals home is worth it.

“For wild horses, they’re known for their sure-footedness and their endurance, but they’re also incredibly smart, and willing to learn, and thing is, you know, when you take them home, they’re scared. And then once you gain their trust, the sky’s the limit…,” continued Williams. “It’s humbling because a wild horse will will teach you just as much as you’re teaching it.” 

Doors open on Friday at 9 a.m., but adoptions will start from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Rishi Oza

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — At the start of the 2024 NFL season, Household Furniture ran a commercial stating that if you bought a Tempur-Pedic mattress through September 23rd, and if the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl, you’d get the mattress for free.

With the Chiefs making it to New Orleans for Super Bowl 59, the store is giving customers another chance to win big. The El Paso based store will be doing another sale on Wednesday, February 5th. If you buy a Tempur-Pedic mattress on the 5th, and the Chiefs win by more than 7, you’ll get it for free.

“You know we had kind of been talking about it throughout the playoffs. We weren’t sure how we were going to do it or if we wanted to do it. And we just said, you know what, let’s have some fun with it,” said Alex Jaffee, Vice President of Household Furniture.

ABC-7 will have the full story with Jaffee and a customer who bought a mattress during the promotion during our evening newscasts.

Lauren Bly

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)– Students at UTEP have been receiving emails that are apart of phishing scams. ABC-7 talked to students on campus, who said that they receive an email that appears to be from a professor or advisor. They said the email includes a link which then takes them to a website that they say did not look affiliated with the university.

Students say the website prompts them to fill in their university account’s email and password.

“It’s just it’s like if a professor sent it to you or like someone important. I didn’t really get any like warnings from the outlook email because usually it tells you like, oh, don’t trust this, you know? I thought it was real because I forget what it was, I think it was about like advising or something, and it told me to put in my info and then I almost did,” said Anthoni Scarola, student at UTEP.

Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-Live Active El Paso will be hosting its annual “Love Yourself, Love Your Heart” walk at Scenic Drive. With February being Heart Month, Live Active El Paso and The Hospitals of Providence are inviting the community to join them at their free Heart Walk on February 2nd.

For more information on Live Active El Paso, click here: www.LiveActiveEP.com.

Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-The HOPE Chest Fundraiser is just a few days away. The event allows you to bid on or buy fine and costume jewelry and original works of art.

The sale and auction will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, on the first floor of the Medical Education Building. The El Paso Community Foundation will auction all donated items and sell them on Feb. 6, 2025. One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit the Fox Cancer Center Patient Fund.

You can support the fundraiser by donating your new and gently used jewelry or original works of art.

Event details:

Feb. 6 for the HOPE Chest Fundraiser and make a difference in the lives of our community’s cancer warriors: here.ttuhscep.edu/campaigns/hope-chest-fundraiser.

Heriberto Perez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The Texas General Land Office has been in contact with the Trump administration for its border security efforts with the purchase of land in different counties across the state.

Texas Land Commissioner Dr. Dawn Buckingham spoke with ABC-7 today, saying the federal government has reached out to them and said they’re interested in collaborating with the state of Texas for deportation proceedings.

“Unfortunately, we’re not able to disclose the exact plan right now, but we’re in discussions. But we have seen already that the Trump administration is moving very quickly with a priority to get the violent criminals off of our soil who’ve been hurting our sons and daughters,” Commissioner Buckingham told ABC-7.

The Texas GLO also said they are excited to see Fort Bliss as such an integral part of this deportation plan.

Commissioner Buckingham said the Texas GLO surrounds the city of El Paso in many aspects with lots of pieces of property, but for now, they are waiting to see the final details of what the Trump administration would like to do and how they want to work with them.

“Of course we have land all over the state, and if in case the federal government needed us to purchase something for their use, we would be happy to help them with that as well. So we’re just standing at the ready to be helpful in this plan to secure our border,” Commissioner Buckingham added.

More updates in later newscasts.