6 victims identified after they were killed when aircraft explodes into fireball

09 July 2023 , 19:46

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The crash took place in California at French Valley Airport in Murrieta, located about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. (Image: Mike Valdez / SplashNews.com)

The six people killed in horror plane crash that exploded into a fireball have been named.

Authorities have identified the six California residents who died on Saturday when they were on a small plane that crashed after a flight that started in Las Vegas.

A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration, Mina Kaji, told The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California, that the Cessna C550 business jet took off from Harry Reid International Airport at about 3:15am on Saturday (July 8)

The plane crashed about an hour later at French Valley Airport in Murrieta, California, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. All aboard were killed.

The crash occurred during the second landing attempt in foggy conditions just before dawn. (Mike Valdez / SplashNews.com)

Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner Chad Bianco identified those who died as Lindsey Gleiche, 31, of Huntington Beach; Riese Lenders, 25, of Rancho Palos Verdes; Alma Razick, 51, of Temecula; Ibrahem Razick, 46, of Temecula; Abigail Tellez-Vargas, 33, of Murrieta; and Manuel Vargas-Regalado, 32, of Temecula.

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Bianco did not release other details. The crash occurred during the second of two landing attempts in fog just before dawn, authorities said.

The jet, which can seat up to 13 people, crashed about 500 feet (150 meters) short of the intended runway, said Elliott Simpson, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. Simpson said fire consumed most of the plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it appeared that "weather was at the minimums for landing at that airport, so the visibility and ceiling allowed for a landing, but it was right at the minimums."

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident to determine the cause of the crash. (Mike Valdez / SplashNews.com)

NTSB investigator Elliott Simpson said: "The pilot reported to air traffic control that he was going to perform a missed approach, which generally happens when a pilot can't see the runway environment," Simpson told reporters during a press briefing Saturday.

Air traffic control cleared the pilot to perform the public missed approach and then cleared the plane to return for landing again, he said. The aircraft crashed about 500 feet short of what investigators believe was the original intended landing runway, Elliott added.

The preliminary report is expected to be published in about two weeks.

Lucy Williamson