Small Plane Crashes Near Palm Springs, One Dead

PALM SPRINGS, CA — A search team Wednesday located the wreckage of a single-engine plane that crashed about 12 miles north-northwest of Palm Springs International Airport, killing the pilot.

The Cessna 172 departed from San Gabriel Valley Airport near El Monte for North Las Vegas Airport around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and crashed around 6:15 p.m. under unknown circumstances into the side of a canyon, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.

The FAA notified the Riverside County Sheriff's Department around 7 p.m. Tuesday that the pilot had not reached his destination and asked for help in the search for the plane, according to Deputy Mike Vasquez.

The Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit located the wreckage in the early morning hours, he said.

The pilot, who was not immediately identified was believed to be the only person on board, according to Kenitzer, who said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.

— By City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone