MURRIETA, Calif. (AP) — Six people have been killed after a plane crashed Saturday morning over a field in Southern California before bursting into flames.
The plane was on fire along with about an acre of vegetation when deputies arrived. The plane crashed near an airport in the city of Murrieta, California, in southwestern Riverside County, located between Los Angeles and San Diego.
The flight originally took off from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas before crashing into the field. KTLA reported. The plane was a Cessna C550 business jet, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The plane’s six occupants were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after authorities found the plane burning after 4:15 a.m., the Riverside County Fire Department said. The identities of those killed in the crash have not been released.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are both investigating the crash.
Saturday morning’s crash was the second fatal crash near French Valley Airport in Riverside County. One man was killed and three injured when a plane hit the side of a building near the airport on Tuesday.