Pilot killed after Cessna crashes in mountains northeast of Truckee
mmoran@sierrasun.com
TRUCKEE, Calif. — The identity of the pilot who died in a small plane crash Thursday afternoon in a rugged and remote area of the Tahoe National Forest was still unknown as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office.
The pilot was the only person aboard the twin-engine Cessna 421 at the time of the crash, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer.
The crash was first reported at 1:35 p.m. Thursday, east of Stampede and Boca reservoirs, roughly 15 miles northeast of Truckee, said Ann Westling, public affairs officer with Tahoe National Forest. A statement from the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office later specified the plane crashed just southwest of Verdi Peak in Sierra County.
Multiple agencies responded to the crash site, including Calfire, Truckee Fire Protection District, Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Tahoe National Forest, and Sierra County Fire and Sheriff’s Office, she said. The wreckage was removed as of Monday, according to the Sierra County Sheriff Office.
The plane was en route to Reno when it went off radar at 1:25 p.m., about 10 miles west of Verdi, Kenitzer said. The aircraft, registered to a Reno company, was coming from San Jose, Calif., according to Sierra County.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of accident, Kenitzer said.
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