China News Network, July 7 According to the Associated Press, in the early morning of the 9th local time, a small business plane crashed in California, causing a fire, and all 8 people on board were killed.
On the same day, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the Cessna 550 business jet took off from Harry Reed International Airport in Las Vegas and crashed about 45 minutes later near the French Valley Airport in Murita, Riverside County, California.
Image source: Screenshot of the Associated Press report
The Riverside County Fire Department said on social media Twitter on the 8th that the plane "fell into a field", causing a fire. The blaze destroyed "about an acre (about 0.4 hectares) of vegetation" and was brought under control at around 5:35 a.m.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Office said at a news conference that day that all six passengers were pronounced dead at the scene. The identity of the passenger has not yet been established.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Elliott Simpson said the small plane, which can accommodate up to 13 people, crashed about 150 meters from the scheduled landing runway.
Simpson said, "With the exception of the tail, most of the plane was destroyed by fire. He said investigators were cleaning up the burning.
Currently, the FAA and NTSB are investigating the accident, and preliminary reports are expected within two weeks.
This is the second fatal plane crash in the area in the last five days. According to US media reports, at about 5:7 pm local time on July 4, a Cessna 2 plane crashed shortly after taking off from French Valley Airport. There were 45 people on board, the pilot was killed on the spot and the other 172 were injured. Both accidents are currently under investigation.