2 Die as Plane Crashes in Elfin Forest
Two people were killed when their single-engine aircraft crashed in the rural Elfin Forest area southeast of Carlsbad, authorities reported Saturday.
The crash occurred either Friday night or early Saturday morning, authorities said.
Medical Examiner Investigator George Dickason said Saturday identifications are being withheld until families are notified, but it’s believed one victim was from Oceanside and the other was a Marine.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman in Los Angeles said the aircraft, a Cessna 150, had departed from Palomar Airport in Carlsbad at 7:06 p.m. Friday on a leisurely local flight.
“The crash happened under unknown circumstances,” said the spokesman, who asked that his name not be used. “We don’t know whether it was a training flight or what.”
There was good visibility, 10 miles with a 500-foot ceiling, but the Cessna crashed in open country between Carlsbad and Escondido.
The plane was discovered at 4:25 a.m. Saturday, but it was unclear whether a passing motorist or a sheriff’s patrol found the wreckage. An investigation is under way.
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