Authorities: 2 dead after small plane crashes near home on approach to Calif. airport

2 dead in plane crash near rural Calif. airport

GROVELAND, Calif. — A small plane crashed in flames in the backyard of a home in rural northern California Friday night, killing the two people aboard but causing no injuries on the ground, authorities said.

The single-engine Piper Saratoga went down near Pine Mountain Lake Airport in Groveland around 7:20 p.m., a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.

The aircraft, traveling from San Carlos Airport to Pine Mountain, was destroyed by the impact of the crash and resulting fire.

Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Jeff Wilson said the two people on board the aircraft were killed. He did not have additional information on the victims.

Wilson said the plane crashed on approach to the runway. It was raining when the first emergency units arrived, but Wilson did not know if it was raining at the time of impact.

The plane crashed in backyard of a home. Officials said there were no injuries to anyone on the ground and the home was not damaged.

FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said FAA investigators were expected to be at the scene Saturday. The National Transportation and Safety Board was also going to investigate

Groveland is 140 miles east of San Francisco and 25 miles south of Yosemite National Park.