VAN NUYS (CNS) - Federal authorities today were investigating a fatal, single-engine plane crash that killed two people just west of the Van Nuys Airport.
The crash occurred at 3:04 p.m. Friday in a parking lot in the 6900 block of North Hayvenhurst Avenue, according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Two victims died at the scene, Prange said, but their names had not been released as of Saturday. The victims were believed to have perished in the plane wreckage.
A witness said the plane made a steep climb, stalled, then nose-dived into the ground.
Preliminary information indicated that the single-engine Navion B plane had taken off from Van Nuys Airport and was heading for Santa Ynez Airport in Santa Barbara County, according to the Federal Aviation Administration's Ian Gregor, who says the plane caught fire after crashing.
The LAFD responded to the scene and put out flames from the crash. No injuries or building damage were reported on the ground, but multiple reports said three vehicles suffered damage.
“The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate,” Gregor said. “The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will determine the probable cause of the accident.”