FYI, and hopefully not just morbid: Local TV news (sorry, no link) reports that planes taking off from that run-way must turn 10 degrees left or 10 degrees rig

FYI, and hopefully not just morbid: Local TV news (sorry, no link) reports that planes taking off from that run-way must turn 10 degrees left or 10 degrees right after take-off. They can't go straight because of a nearby field (Moffet field) - a former naval air base currently owned by NASA and famous for being where the Google guys park their jet. This plane was planned (or instructed, I'm not sure) to go right - they went left. That they went left AND that they failed to gain enough altitude to avoid the power lines is tentatively speculated to be indicative of a left engine failure. They took out three high-tension power lines which, the plane geek quoted on the news pointed out, is "likely to seriously interfere with the forward progress of the plane". They came down in a very dense residential neighborhood with debris hitting a nearby day-care center. A consolation is that as of this report, the pilot and passengers appear to be the only victims. The plane mostly came down in the middle of a street. Nearby residents report that they tried but could not get anywhere close to the plane because of the intensity of the heat from the fuel flame. It was the resident's impression that post-crash fuel explosions scattered debris which is what led to the structure fires. The thought that occurs to me is that I wonder if the pilot retained enough control that he aimed for the street on purpose either hoping for a survivable crash landing or (shudder) in a heroic last act to save others knowing he had no chance, personally.