2 people killed in small-plane crash in Central California
Two people were killed Monday in a small-plane crash outside Colusa in Central California that will also force a cleanup of a remote pond near after fuel spilled into the water.
Deputies from the Colusa County Sheriff’s Department and its air squadron responded to the crash, which was reported at 12:15 p.m.
Officials found a badly injured dog near the wreckage. The bodies of Jeffery Thomas Webber, 66, of Healdsburg, Calif. and Lionel J. Robin, 71, of Arnauldville, La. were recovered by a sheriff’s dive team.
About 120 gallons of jet fuel A was released in the crash, emptying into a pond used by wildlife, said Eric Laughlin, spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. He said a game warden was at the site.
A cleanup crew will arrive after the wreckage is cleared and will pump the pond, “where there’s some sheen on the water,” Laughlin said. “But we haven’t seen any visibly oiled wildlife.”
Jet fuel A is similar to kerosene, he said, adding: “We’re not talking about really thick crude oil, though it’s a bit thicker than diesel or gasoline.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
Twitter: @newsterrier
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