Three Tesla executives die in plane crash in Palo Alto

Tragedy struck Tesla Motors after a twin-engine Cessna piloted by a Tesla manager crashed into an East Palo Alto neighborhood today resulting in the death of the pilot and two other Tesla employees that were on-board with him.

From what we’ve gathered, the plane, which was owned by Doug Bourn, a senior electrical engineer from Tesla, took off from Palo Alto Airport and was headed for Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Los Angeles County. According to various reports, the plane crashed minutes after it took off at an East Palo Alto neighbourhood, crashing first into an electric transmission line before exploding upon impact.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk issued a statement immediately following the horrific tragedy, calling it the worst day in Tesla’s history.

“Three Tesla employees were on board a plane that crashed in East Palo Alto early this morning,” Musk said in a statement. “We are withholding their identities as we work with the relevant authorities to notify the families. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Tesla is a small, tightly-knit company, and this is a tragic day for us.”

Despite our running jokes about how Tesla tries to sell eco-friendly electric cars, yet travel on some pretty high-end, gas-guzzling planes, this unimaginable tragedy is something that we take pretty seriously. Our hearts and our prayers go out to all the affected families.