Huntington Beach community honors teen soccer player and her father killed in plane crash

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A Huntington Beach soccer player and her father were killed in a plane crash in Fullerton, and now, the community is coming together to help their family grieve.

A gathering was held Friday in Huntington Beach to honor the lives of Pascal and Kelly Reid.

Kelly played for Huntington Beach High School. The school confirmed the victims' identities in a heartfelt post on the soccer team's Instagram.

"Kelly was an amazing girl ... genuine and kind with such passion for life," read the statement.

"Kelly was a natural caregiver and always put others first," continued the statement. "She will be deeply missed. Her father was at every single game, always so proud of his daughter."

"To see her pass so suddenly was definitely something that's a little scary for us to all see, but it's nice that her memory is what's bringing us all together right now," said Maya Dadkis, a friend of Kelly's who attended Friday's gathering.

Her friends said Kelly's being remembered for her kindness and vibrant spirit.

"She just was kind of that person who, when you walk in the room, you know it's going to be okay. She's so happy. I would always say hi to her in the hallway,'" said Dadkis.

What happened in the Fullerton plane crash?

On Thursday afternoon, a small plane crashed through the roof of a furniture warehouse near the Fullerton Municipal Airport.

Pascal and Kelly were killed and 19 others were injured.

Michael Meacham with the Fullerton Fire Department said the 19 people were treated for injuries ranging from minor to very serious. Of the 19 injured, 11 were taken to a hospital and the rest were treated and released at the scene, police said.

Security camera footage captured a fiery explosion and a large plume of black smoke as the plane appeared to dive into the building tilted on its side. Another video from inside the burning building appeared to show a person running with their arm on fire.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a single-engine Van's RV-10.

Eliot Simpson, an aviation accident investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said the four-seat aircraft was built in 2011 and was a kit-built airplane. He added that the NTSB's preliminary report would be available in about 14 days, with the final report taking 12 to 18 months to complete.

The plane was returning to the airport when it hit the building. According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, the aircraft took off at 2:07 p.m. and crashed two minutes later.

"The airplane departed from Runway 24 at Fullerton about 2 p.m. this afternoon, climbed straight ahead to about 900 feet, and a short time later the pilot called for an immediate return to the airport," Simpson said. "The tower controller then cleared the pilot to land on any runway. The airplane then appeared to make a 180-degree left turn and flew the left downwind for Runway 24 and ultimately crashed about 1,000 feet short of Runway 24. It struck a furniture building and immediately caught fire."

The FAA and the NTSB will investigate the crash.

In November, two people were injured when a small plane crash-landed in the area of Gilbert Street and Artesia Avenue, also near Fullerton Airport.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.