Pilot dies after plane crash near Corona Airport

A pilot died after an airplane crashed in Corona on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 16, authorities said.

The Corona Fire Department responded to a call of an aircraft down and a vegetation fire in the area of Auburndale and Rincon streets around noon and that one person was found dead inside the plane after the fire was put out, department officials said in a Facebook post.

The location of the crash is less than a mile east of the airport.

The plane, a single-engine Vans RV8, crashed shortly after departure from Corona Municipal Airport and the pilot was the only one on board, said Steven Kulm, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.

The crash started a vegetation fire, but firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, firefighters said.

Further information was not immediately available.

This is a breaking story and will be updated when more information is available.

Source: Orange County Register