All five passengers aboard a small plane were killed on Sunday when the aircraft crashed in a Southern California mall parking lot, according to local authorities.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Salac says the twin-engine Cessna 414 declared an emergency before crashing about a mile from Orange County's John Wayne Airport.

Photos from the scene show the plane upright but on its belly outside a shopping center in Santa Ana, where wreckage was seen in front of a Staples store.

Five people were killed on Sunday when their twin-engine plane (pictured) crashed into the parking lot of a shopping mall in southern California

Photos from the scene show the plane upright but on its belly outside the shopping center in Santa Ana, California

The parking lot is shared by a CVS pharmacy, a Wells Fargo Bank branch, and a Michaels art-supply store among others.

The incident reportedly occurred at around 12.30pm on Sunday.

The plane also hit a car (pictured), but no one was reported injured. It remains unclear what airport the plane had departed from

The plane also hit a car, but no one in that vehicle was reported injured.

FAA records show that the plane was registered to a company based in San Francisco and had flown from the nearby suburb of Concord, according to The Orange County Register.

The fire department is on scene.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.

According to KTLA, roads leading to South Bristol Street between Sunflower Avenue and Callen’s Common have been shut down.

Airport spokeswoman Deanne Thompson.

The crash comes nearly a year after a twine-engine plane taking off from John Wayne Airport burst into flames and crash landed on the 405 freeway.

A married couple had their lives saved when an off-duty firefighter pulled them from the aircraft.

FAA records show that the plane was registered to a company based in San Francisco and had flown from the nearby suburb of Concord