Six people were killed when a business jet traveling from Las Vegas to Southern California crashed into a field on approach to an airport and then burst into flames, authorities said.
The crash happened around 4:15 a.m. PT Saturday in Murrieta, Riverside County, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Cessna C550 business jet had departed Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas at about 3:15 a.m. PT and “crashed short of French Valley Airport on its second approach,” said the NTSB based on preliminary information.
The scene of a fatal plane crash in Murrieta, California on July 8, 2023.
KABC
The marine layer began to envelop the area with low ceilings and visibilities shortly before the landing, according to NTSB investigator Elliott Simpson.
“The pilot informed air traffic control that he was going to make a missed approach, which generally happens when a pilot can’t see the runway environment,” Simpson told reporters during a news conference Saturday.
Air traffic control cleared the pilot to make the missed public approach and then cleared the plane to land again, he said. The plane crashed about 500 feet from what investigators believe was the original intended landing strip, Simpson said.
Deputies responding to the crash “located an aircraft fully engulfed in flames in a field,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
All six occupants aboard the plane were located and pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said. All were adults, Simpson said.
Most of the plane was consumed by fire, Simpson said. The crash fire burned about a hectare of vegetation and was contained by 5:35 a.m. PT, according to firefighters said.
The debris field is about 200 feet long, according to Simpson.
The scene of a fatal plane crash in Murrieta, California on July 8, 2023.
KABC
The NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating. Investigators from the NTSB, which is leading the investigation, responded to the crash site to document the scene and examine the aircraft.
Radar data, weather information, plane maintenance records and the pilot’s medical records will be requested as part of the investigation, the NTSB said.
The scene of a fatal plane crash in Murrieta, California on July 8, 2023.
KABC
A preliminary report is expected to be published within 15 days.
French Valley Airport is currently closed amid the crash investigation, Riverside County Airport Director Angela Jamison confirmed to ABC News.
The FAA has issued a temporary flight restriction in the area “to protect the integrity of the crime scene and the safety of any incoming aircraft,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said. The restriction is tentatively in place until 1 p.m. Sunday, although it is subject to change, the sheriff’s office said.
This is the second accident this week near French Valley Airport. On Tuesday, another plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing one and injuring three others, according to the FAA.
It’s too early to make any judgments about whether the two incidents are related, Simpson said.
ABC News’ Amanda Maile, Nicholas Kerr and Amanda Morris contributed to this report.
