California IN BRIEF : MAMMOTH LAKES : Small Plane Hits Mountain, 3 Die

A small plane traveling through a snowstorm over the rugged Sierra Nevada range smashed into a mountain peak near Mammoth Lakes, killing all three people aboard, authorities said. The crash occurred late Friday about 10 miles west of the ski resort town, the Mono County Sheriff’s Department said. A witness told authorities the plane appeared engulfed in flames when it crossed U.S. 395 about two miles from the tiny community of Tom’s Place and hit the mountain. Authorities said the bodies of the three crash victims had not yet been identified.