One dead after small plane crashes in Riverside County
A small plane crashed into the ground on a dry lake bed in an agricultural area near Big Pine, killing one man and seriously wounding three others.
The crash killed 63-year-old James McAloon of Riverside, who was the pilot. He was in good health, according to family members. His wife and son were in the passenger seat.
The small plane, a Beechcraft King Air, crashed into the sand dunes near the lakeshore Tuesday. Crews from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were called to the scene. Riverside County sheriff’s deputies said that they recovered remains from the crash site.
One of the injured, a Riverside resident, is a woman who was taken to a hospital and has serious but not life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
A fire department helicopter responded to the scene and helped to transport the remaining wounded, but rescue crews had to remove part of the woman’s body from the crash site.
Sheriff’s officials said all five victims were from the same family and that the plane was owned by the family’s son. The son was in the passenger seat.
The wreckage was found about two and half miles from the town of Big Pine, about 30 miles up the mountainside.
A preliminary investigation indicated the plane was flying on a nearby lake when it crashed into the sand dunes and a nearby house, according to investigators.
The wreckage is located in a rural portion of Riverside County with little, if any, developed land in the vicinity, Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Patrick Gatto said.
A U.S. State Department official said that an American Airlines flight from Dallas took off for Chicago on Saturday with a group of 16 people aboard, including a nine-year-old girl. But it is not known whether the nine-year-old was actually on the plane or if she was with a parent or guardian.
The plane, which departed in Chicago at 9:05 pm on Saturday, was traveling at about 690 mph, which was normal speed, according to flight records. It