Six people were found dead Saturday morning at the scene of a Cessna C550 business jet crash near the French Valley Airport in Murrieta, California, after departing Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
According to Riverside County Sheriff, law enforcement responded to the jet crash at 4:15 a.m. Saturday morning. After locating the flaming remains of the aircraft, officials pronounced the six passengers dead at the scene.
The Sheriff’s office reported that the six victims of Saturday’s jet crash included Alma Razick, age 51, Ibrahem Razick, age 46, Abigail Tellez-Vargas, age 33, Manuel Vargas-Regalado, age 32, Lindsey Gleiche, age 31, and Riese Lenders, age 25.
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The Riverside County Fire Department released a statement on Twitter after the incident Saturday morning, stating, “Cessna aircraft down in a field, fully involved in fire. The fire burned approximately one acre of vegetation, was contained at 5:35 a.m. and the incident has been turned over to RSO and the FAA. Please contact them with any questions.”
Based upon preliminary information, the NTSB explained that the Cessna business jet left Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas around 3:15 a.m. before it “crashed short of French Valley Airport during its second approach.”
NTSB investigator Elliot Simpson indicated that the marine layer in the area caused low ceilings and visibility issues shortly before the jet attempted to land.
“The pilot reported to air traffic control that he was going to perform a missed approach, which generally happens when a pilot can’t see the runway environment,” Simpson said in a Saturday press conference.
After coordinating with air traffic control to attempt a second landing, the jet crashed roughly 500 feet short of what is reported to have been the runway the pilot was originally intending to use.
Following the jet crash, the FAA issued a temporary flight restriction in the region “to protect the integrity of the crime scene and the safety of any incoming aircraft,” according to ABC News.
Riverside County Sheriff announced that an investigation will be conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB indicated that plane maintenance records, radar data, weather information and the medical records of the pilot will be requested during the investigation.
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
