US authorities said they arrested a 17-year-old girl on suspicion of stealing and crashing a plane at an airport in California.

The authorities accused the unidentified girl of climbing a fence near the Fresno Yosemite International Airport maintenance building.

The Fresno police chief said the girl then claimed that she had access to a private aircraft, the King 200, and began operating it.

He added that the plane started to move, but it did not take off in midair.

The plane was damaged after hitting a fence and a nearby building, but no one was injured in the accident.

The reasons behind the girl's taking such an action were not disclosed.