Crime & Safety

Two Killed In Plane Crash Near Van Nuys Airport

The plane crashed into a small parking lot, narrowly avoiding several cars and nearby residential complex.

The crash was reported around 3:20 p.m.
The crash was reported around 3:20 p.m. (Paige Austin/Patch)

VAN NUYS, CA — At least two people were killed when a small-engine plane crashed in Lake Balboa near Van Nuys airport on Friday afternoon. Los Angeles Fire Department said no structures were damaged.

The plane crashed in a small parking lot, narrowly avoiding several parked cars and nearby residential complexes. A witness told CBSLA the plane was making a near vertical climb, before stalling and nose-diving into the ground. Nicholas Prange of LAFD said the plane was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, but that the fire was quickly extinguished.

Information on the victims was not immediately available.

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According to the FAA, the plane took off from Van Nuys airport intending to fly to Santa Ynez airport in Santa Barbara County.

Traffic was diverted from Hayvenhurst Avenue between Sherman Way and Hart Street. Air traffic at the airport was not affected and the cause of the crash is under investigation.

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