Topline
All six passengers aboard a business jet died after the plane crashed in Southern California early Saturday morning, according to local officials, the second deadly crash in the area in less than a week.
Key Facts
A Cessna C550 jet crashed near the French Valley Airport in Murrieta, California, around 4:15 a.m. on Saturday morning, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
All six passengers—who were not named—were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Riverside Sheriff’s Office, which added the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.
The plane departed Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas before leaving for Murrieta, FAA officials told KTLA, which speculated that heavy fog could have caused the plane to miss the airport’s runway by several hundred yards.
The crash caused a fire that burned an estimated one acre of vegetation, according to the Riverside County Fire Department, which said it extinguished the blaze an hour later.
Key Background
Saturday’s incident is the second deadly crash near the French Valley Airport. One person was killed and three others were injured after another Cessna plane—which had departed the French Valley Airport—crashed on Tuesday, according to KTLA. The Riverside County Fire Department initially confirmed the plane had crashed into the side of a building near the airport. The crash killed 39-year-old Jared Newman and injured Newman’s three sons, according to a GoFundMe page set up by the family. The crash is also under investigation by the FAA and the NTSB. FAA records indicate Newman received a student pilot certificate in 2020 but had yet to receive a license, which prohibits Newman from operating any aircraft with passengers, according to Patch.
Further Reading
6 Killed In Plane Crash At French Valley Airport; Second Deadly Crash At Airstrip This Week (KTLA)
Six People Killed In Plane Crash Near Riverside County Airport (Los Angeles Times)
