6 people dead after private jet crashes in Southern California

Charles R. Davis
Updated ·2 min read
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charred remains of a jet in dry yellow field
Charred remains of a Cessna plane lies near the landing approach at French Valley Airport on July 8 in Murrieta, California.Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

  • A private Cessna jet crashed in Southern California early Saturday morning.

  • All six people on board the plane were found dead at the scene, according to the FAA.

  • The cause of the crash is under investigation but came after heavy fog was reported.

Six people are dead after the plane they were in crashed near an airport in Southern California early Saturday morning.

At 4:15 a.m., police officers responded to reports of a plane crash in Murrieta, about a 90-minute drive from Los Angeles. There, in a field, they found an aircraft "fully engulfed in flames," according to a press release from the Riverside County sheriff's office.

The six occupants of the plane "were located and pronounced deceased at the scene," the office said.

The reported location of the crash is immediately adjacent to French Valley Airport, which has a single runway and averaged just under 300 aircraft operations per day in 2022. It occurred after heavy fog was reported in the area — and after the pilot's second attempt to land.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Cessna C550 business jet that took off from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. The C550 is a twin-engine jet, popular for corporate travel, with some models that have been in service since the late 1970s. It typically seats up to six passengers.

The names and home towns of those on board were released on Sunday by authorities in Riverside County. They are:

  • Riese Lenders, 25, Rancho Palos Verdes

  • Lindsey Gleiche, 31, Huntington Beach

  • Manuel Vargas-Regalado, 32, Temecula

  • Abigail Tellez-Vargas, 33, Murrieta

  • Ibrahim Razick, 46, Temecula

  • Alma Razick, 51, Temecula

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash, with experts arriving at the scene Saturday afternoon.

"Part of the investigation will be to request radar data, weather information, maintenance records, and the pilot's medical records," the NTSB said in a statement.

A preliminary report on the cause of the crash is expected in about two weeks.

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com

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