Plane crashes into Big Bear Lake picnic area, killing pilot

The pilot of a small plane was killed Monday morning after it crashed in a picnic area on the north shore of Big Bear Lake, fire officials said.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department reported the pilot, who was the plane’s only occupant, was dead by the time they arrived.

The crash was reported about 10:50 a.m. near Fawnskin, said John Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service in San Bernardino.

The plane, which departed from Big Bear City Airport, crashed into the Grout Bay campground, a picnic area along the lake.

The model of aircraft and was not immediately known, said Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The crash is the second plane to go down near Big Bear in less than a week.

On Thursday, three people were injured when their small aircraft went down 12 miles west of Big Bear Airport at Highway 18 near Arctic Circle and Glory Ridge Road, authorities said.

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said they are sending out a team to investigate the crash.

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