6 people dead after private jet crashes in Southern California

[surfroshan]

Six people are dead after the plane they were in crashed near an airport in Southern California early Saturday morning.

At 4:15 a.m., police officers responded to reports of a plane crash in Murrieta, about a 90-minute drive from Los Angeles. There, in a field, they found an aircraft "fully engulfed in flames," according to a press release from the Riverside County sheriff's office. The six occupants of the plane "were located and pronounced deceased at the scene," the office said.

The reported location of the crash is immediately adjacent to French Valley Airport, which has a single runway and averaged just under 300 aircraft operations per day in 2022. 

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Cessna C550 business jet that took off from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. The C550 is a twin-engine jet, popular for corporate travel, with some models that have been in service since the late 1970s. It typically seats up to six passengers.

There is no indication yet as to what might have caused the crash or the identities of the victims.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which will be leading the investigation, said in a statement that investigators are expected to arrive at the scene by Saturday afternoon.

"Part of the investigation will be to request radar data, weather information, maintenance records, and the pilot's medical records," it said.