Six dead after small plane crashes in California field, sparking brush fire

Six people were killed in a small plane crash in Riverside County, California (screengrab/ABC7)
Six people were killed in a small plane crash in Riverside County, California (screengrab/ABC7)

Six people are dead after a small plane crashed in a field near the French Valley area of Riverside County, California.

A Cessna C550 business jet crashed near the French Valley Airport in Murrieta around 4:15am, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It was traveling to California from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, according to aviation officials.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office confirmed that all six occupants were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, accoding to ABC7.

The crash sparked a small brushfire at the incident site, burning approximately an acre of land before members of CAL FIRE/the Riverside County Fire Department contained the flames.

Weather reports showed a dense fog was hanging in the region at the time of the accident.

This is the second fatal plane crash near the French Valley Airport in less than a week; on 4 July, another small plane crashed, killing the pilot.

Both crashes are under investigation by the NTSB and the FAA.