Business jet crashes in Southern California, killing 6

A business jet has crashed near a small airport in Southern California, causing a brush fire and killing all six people on board, local officials say. It’s the second crash near the airport in less than a week.

The latest accident happened at 4:15 a.m. on Saturday when the Cessna 550 Citation II crashed in a field near French Valley Airport in Murrieta, about 68 miles (110 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles.

The Riverside County Fire Department said the aircraft was fully engulfed in flames and burned approximately 1 acre of vegetation. The brush fire was contained more than an hour later, at 5:35 a.m.

“Six occupants from the plane were located and pronounced deceased at the scene,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. There were no survivors.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the business jet was flying from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, but there was no immediate word on the identities of those on board.

Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the cause of the accident. Heavy fog blanketed the area around the time of the crash, which may have played a role.

Earlier this week, one person was killed when his plane crashed shortly after taking off from French Valley Airport.