L.A. Plane Collision Kills At Least 2 in Calif. Flying Over Venture County [VIDEO]
Two planes crashed in mid-air early Monday afternoon over Ventura County, Calif. One collided into a mountainside and killed the pilot, while the other was forced to land on a golf course, KTLA reported.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, one of the planes had departed from Santa Monica Airport before crashing. The other plane, which may have left from the same airport, had three people on board, who are reportedly safe, and the plane landed in the Westlake Golf Course. Both planes were Cessna single-engine aircrafts.
Investigators found a body Monday evening near a local highway, according to KTLA.
Department Spokesman Steve Whitmore said rescuers “identified the wreckage of a single-seat airplane with a single occupant.” The passenger was reportedly dead.
Whitman said that the plane that crashed in the mountains was on an engine-test flight. It was heading east before crashing into the other aircraft that was coming from the opposite direction.
The crash caused a fire, burning about an acre of bush before it was knocked down.
The other plane clipped a tree in Westlake Village, Calif., spinning the aircraft around 180 degrees, according to golfer Aaron Jesse, 47.
L.A. County Fire Department officials and witnesses said the landing gear was still up when that plane landed on the golf course.