3 killed after single-engine plane crashes in Southern California

BIG BEAR CITY, Calif. — Three people were killed on Monday when a single-engine airplane crashed near a small airport in Southern California, authorities said.

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According to a tweet from the Big Bear Fire Department, crews responded to an airplane that had crashed in a vacant lot at about 2:02 p.m. PDT. The location is about a mile east of the Big Bear Airport, The Orange County Register reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a Beechcraft A36, KABC-TV reported.

The three people on the plane were pronounced dead at the scene, the Register reported. Their names have not been released.

It is the second fatal plane crash in the area over the past three days.

On Saturday, a 38-year-old pilot was killed when his single-engine plane crashed into a hillside above the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles

Big Bear Airport is in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear Lake, a resort area about two hours east of Los Angeles, The Associated Press reported.

Big Bear City residents Anna Chilcoat and Kevin Shillabeer were pulling into their driveway when a neighbor told them about the plane crash, which occurred a block from their home, according to the Register.

“I’ve seen many airplane crashes up here as a local and many people have lost their lives. A lot of good friends of ours too,” Chilcoat told OnScene.TV.

Chilcoat said plane crashes in the area occur “every five to 10 years,” the Register reported. She said pilots unfamiliar with the terrain and tricky winds have been the victims.

“A lot of people won’t fly here out of caution, especially when the Santa Anas (winds) start,” Chilcoat told the newspaper. “The winds are unpredictable, especially since we are the only mountains that go from east to west.”

An investigation is ongoing.