Lear Jet Crash
Lear Jet Crashes In Tahoe; Two Dead
POSTED: 3:47 pm PST December 28, 2005
UPDATED: 5:05 pm PST December 28, 2005
TRUCKEE -- A private business jet crashed Wednesday afternoon on approach to Truckee Tahoe Airport and exploded into a ball of flame killing both people aboard, authorities said.
According to the Placer County Sheriff Department the plane went down about 2:05 p.m. Placer County and Nevada County emergency teams responded to the area, confirming at least two deaths.
The Learjet had taken off from Twin Falls, Idaho, and was scheduled to pick up two passengers at Truckee Tahoe Airport, said Bruce Nelson, a Federal Aviation Administration operations officer in Los Angeles.
He said officials had yet to identify a potential cause of the crash, but a storm had brought rain, snow and high winds to the Sierra Nevada.
According to the Sierra Sun newspaper, radio transmissions from first responders reported that the aircraft had been totally destroyed. A large debris area was reported on Martis Creek Dam Road.
Truckee resident Mark Maisel witnessed the crash.
"The right wing went straight up with the left wing straight down, then the left wing went straight up," he told the newspaper. "Then it hit the ground with the biggest ball of flame you’ve ever seen. The ball of flame was bigger than any tree around here."
The National Weather Service said the area was under a winter storm warning at the time of the crash.
Truckee Tahoe Airport, situated at 5,900 feet, is a general aviation airport that operates without a control tower.
Anybody knows whos A/C this was?
Crew RIP.