5 killed in plane crash south of Bakersfield, authorities say

Five people were killed Saturday when their single-engine plane crashed in an almond orchard south of Bakersfield, authorities said.

The victims’ bodies were recovered from the crash scene in the orchard near Panama Lane and Buena Vista Road, said Sgt. Mark King of the Kern County Sheriff’s Department.

The coroner’s office has not released the identities of the victims.

Authorities found aircraft debris scattered in the orchard hours after the small plane sent out a mayday call and disappeared from radar.

A search and rescue crew located the crash site about 7:30 p.m. Saturday, about three hours after receiving an alert from the Federal Aviation Administration about a missing plane that was last detected an estimated 10 miles south of the city, sheriff’s Cmdr. Shaun Beasley told the Associated Press.

Air traffic controllers lost contact with the single-engine Piper PA32 about 4 p.m. as it was flying from Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose to Henderson Executive Airport near Las Vegas, an FAA spokesman said.

King said bad weather may have been a factor. A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in nearby Hanford said it was rainy and cloudy in the area south of Bakersfield around the time the plane went off radar.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash, King said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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