Pilot Crash Lands Plane Near Lake Skinner In Winchester

WINCHESTER, CA — An airplane crash landed Thursday in a field on the east side of Lake Skinner in Winchester, but no one was injured.

The forced landing occurred about 4:45 p.m. in the 37000 block of Warren Road, near the entrance to the Lake Skinner Recreation Area, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Sgt. Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez told City News Service that patrol deputies were sent to the location to investigate reports of a "downed plane" and found it in an open field.

"The three occupants were out of the plane," she told City News Service. "Nobody was injured."

There was no post-crash fire. However, county fire personnel were sent to the location as a precaution.

It was not immediately clear where the pilot was headed, or from where the aviator had departed.

Lake Skinner is less than four miles east of French Valley Airport.

Federal Aviation Administration officials were notified about the incident and were expected to initiate an investigation.