One killed in crash of vintage warplane north of Porter Ranch

Last Updated on June 15, 2019 by CCAR Staff

A vintage military plane went down in the Santa Susana Mountains in Los Angeles County, leaving one person dead on Saturday, June 15.

The aircraft had replica U.S. military insignia. But the plane was identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as a Nanchang model CJ-6. That’s a Chinese military trainer that’s also used for general aviation and crop-spraying work. Hundreds of the planes are privately owned around the world, according to military aircraft websites. 

The crash took place roughly two miles north of Porter Ranch at about 2:40 p.m., Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. Paramedics found the sole occupant of the privately owned, single-engine, two-seat plane that crashed dead amidst the wreckage of the aircraft. That person’s identity was not immediately made public.

No other injuries were reported in the crash near Palo Sola Truck Road, and no fire was burning at the crash site as of Saturday afternoon, Humphrey said.

Information regarding what might have caused the plane to go down was not immediately known. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will handle the investigation into the incident, which officials said may prove to be in the county’s jurisdiction.