Doomed flight ends in flames: Six unlucky souls perish in California sky tragedy
In a heartbreaking incident early Saturday morning, a Cessna C550 corporate jet crashed and caught fire near Riverside County’s French Valley Airport in California, about 85 miles south of Los Angeles.
This devastating event claimed the lives of all six passengers on board, as confirmed by local and federal authorities.
As per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the doomed aircraft was journeying from Las Vegas when it met its fatal end around 4:15 AM local time (0815 GMT). The FAA disclosed that the plane met its fiery end in a field near the airport. The identities of the victims are yet to be revealed.
FlightAware website’s flight tracking data suggested that this was the only business jet traveling between Las Vegas and French Valley during the specified time. The data showed the plane circling once near the crash site before it made a swift descent.
Devastating Riverside County plane crash leaves no survivors. Photo courtesy of Bradley Bormuth/Wikimedia Commons.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office first responders reached the crash site promptly, only to find the aircraft completely ablaze in a field next to the airport. On their arrival, all six occupants were sadly declared dead.
The crash ignited a bushfire that consumed an acre of land at the crash site, which was later subdued by fire department personnel. The FAA stated that a thorough investigation into the crash will be undertaken by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), focusing on pinpointing the cause of the crash and any contributing factors.
Media reports have speculated that dense fog blanketing the crash area at the time may have contributed to the accident, but the official cause remains undetermined. Alarmingly, this is the second fatal plane crash near the French Valley Airport within a week. The previous incident, which occurred on July 4, also resulted in the death of the pilot.