In a tragic event that took place on Saturday morning, a small corporate jet crashed and burst into flames near French Valley Airport of Riverside County in California. The site is located approximately 85 miles south of Los Angeles. All six individuals on board the Cessna C550 business jet lost their lives in the devastating incident, as confirmed by local and federal authorities.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the ill-fated aircraft was en route from Las Vegas when the crash occurred at approximately 4:15 AM local time (0815 GMT). The FAA statement revealed that the plane crashed in a field near the airport. At this time, no details have been released regarding the identities of the passengers.
All six passengers declared dead
Flight tracking data obtained from the website FlightAware indicates that there was only one business jet travelling from Las Vegas to French Valley during the given timeframe. The aircraft was observed circling once near the crash site before descending rapidly.
First responders from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office swiftly arrived at the scene of the accident. They discovered the aircraft fully engulfed in flames in a field adjacent to the airport. Tragically, all six occupants were pronounced dead upon their arrival.
Crash sparks bushfire
The crash also sparked a bushfire at the incident site, which ended up burning an acre of land. Later, it was contained by members of the fire department.
In response to the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will conduct a thorough investigation, as announced by the FAA. The NTSB’s efforts will focus on determining the cause of the crash and uncovering any contributing factors.
Cause of the accident
The cause of the crash was not known yet but media reports highlighted the area where the crash happened was engulfed by dense fog at the time of the accident.
