Last Updated on November 26, 2019 by CCAR Staff
An investigation was underway into what caused a single-engine plane to crash in a remote area of unincorporated Riverside County near Desert Center, killing the pilot.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department received a witness report of a plane crash just before 6 p.m. Monday near Corn Springs Road, a half-mile south of Interstate 10, but officials were initially unable locate the crash.
The downed aircraft was eventually located with the help of a sheriff’s helicopter.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the pilot, who has not yet been publicly identified, was the only person believed on board the Beechcraft Bonanza. An FAA inspector was en route to the crash site.
The investigation into the crash will be led by the National Transportation Safety Board and could take a year or more to determine the probable cause of the accident.
Gregor said the plane was headed to Hemet, but diverted to Blythe due to turbulence in the area.
Records show the plane was registered to a resident of Canyon Lake.
The Press-Enterprise contributed to this story.
