Tehachapi Aircraft crash kills two including Tehachapi Assistant City Manager

Monday, July 6, 2009

Tehachapi Aircraft crash kills two including Tehachapi Assistant City Manager

Plane crash in Tehachapi hills leaves 2 dead

TEHACHAPI, Calif. -- The Fourth of July was deadly for two people as a small plane crashed in the hills of Tehachapi.

It was a sight residents living on Old Town Road were not prepared to see Saturday afternoon.

"It's very shocking and stunning," said Jeannette Crounse. "Our quiet little neighborhood out here, to have an airplane land in it, it's not something we ever expect."

A Tehachapi city news release identified one of the victims was identified as Assistant City Manager David Zweigle. It didn't identify the second person.

According to the Kern County Fire Department, the small private plane crashed onto the roadway just before 1:30 p.m.

Crounse said she saw the plane moments before it went down and knew something wasn't right.

"Really loud (and) lower than it should be," she said. "When it buzzed over the house, my nephew and I ran out of the house to look and just in time to see the big puff of smoke."

Even though the crash killed two people on board the aircraft, Crounse is grateful that was the only damage done.

"(The plane landed) right between two houses, right in the middle of the road, it's a miracle no one was hurt on the ground," she said.

It's too early to say what caused the plane to crash.

"This should be a day of festivities, the Fourth of July, this is an unfortunate ending," said Lt. J.R. Rodriguez of the Kern County Sheriff's Office.

The crash sparked a grass fire in the area, but fire crews were able to contain it quickly.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
Source: http://www.bakersfieldnow.com - Link

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Monday, July 6, 2009