A devastating single-engine plane crash in California resulted in the deaths of three individuals near a mountain airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that a Beechcraft A36 aircraft crashed around 2 pm on Monday, May 1, in the vicinity of Big Bear City Airport. Although the plane struck an empty lot, no fire broke out. The Big Bear Fire Department confirmed the fatalities of all three passengers on board.
At present, investigators have not revealed the victims’ identities and are looking into the cause of the accident. Weather reports indicate that the skies were partly cloudy during the incident, with no unusual weather conditions.
Big Bear Airport is located near Big Bear Lake, a popular resort destination about two hours from Los Angeles.
This incident is the second fatal small plane crash in Southern California within three days. On Saturday, April 29, a single-engine Cessna C172 collided with a hillside above a Los Angeles neighborhood due to dense fog, resulting in one death.
Joubin Solemani, a resident of the upscale Beverly Crest neighborhood, recalled hearing a loud crash while at home with his family on Saturday. Search-and-rescue teams were sent to the hillside, and after hours of navigating through the darkness and thick fog, they found the wreckage and the dead pilot. Alon Inditzky, 38, was the sole occupant of the plane.
Solemani described the mangled remains of the plane that were visible from his property in the Santa Monica Mountains.
On Sunday afternoon, the fire department retrieved the pilot’s body. Remarkably, the aircraft managed to avoid power lines and a water tank.
An air traffic controller reported the plane as missing after losing contact with it while en route to Van Nuys Airport.
Both crashes are currently under investigation by the FAA and the NTSB.