Local News in Brief : All 3 Aboard Plane Survive Fiery Crash in Simi Valley

A small airplane, apparently on a training flight, crashed into a vacant lot in Simi Valley and burst into flames Friday evening, but the three people aboard survived, authorities said.

The twin-engine aircraft crashed into a small, grassy field behind Our Redeemer Lutheran Church on West Bonita Drive about 5:20 p.m., landing about 30 feet away from some homes, Simi Valley Police Lt. Don Austin said.

A passenger, Donna Stern, 24, of Culver City was taken to Simi Valley Adventist Hospital, then transferred to the Sherman Oaks Community Hospital burn center with burns over 30% of her body, a spokeswoman for the Simi Valley hospital said. The spokeswoman said Ray Fisher, 45, of Los Angeles, whom she identified as a student piloting the plane, received burns on one arm but was expected to be released from the Simi Valley hospital late Friday night.

The third person in the plane, Ralph Matsuzaki, 30, of Los Angeles, was listed in stable condition with unspecified burns in the intensive care unit of Simi Valley Community Hospital.

The aircraft was destroyed by the fire, Austin said. The crash touched off a small grass fire, which Ventura County firefighters extinguished within 10 minutes, he said.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were called to the scene to determine the cause of the crash.