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Four killed in plane crash minutes after takeoff from central California airport

Emergency crews responded shortly after 6:30 p.m. Saturday to reports of a crash in a field just west of Visalia Municipal Airport, according to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
/ Source: The Associated Press

VISALIA, Calif. — Four people were killed when a single-engine plane crashed in heavy fog minutes after takeoff from a small airport in central California, authorities said.

Emergency crews responded shortly after 6:30 p.m. Saturday to reports of a crash in a field just west of Visalia Municipal Airport, according to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.

Syndication: Visalia Times-Delta
Detectives and deputies from the Tulare County Sheriff's Office at the scene of the crash involving a small plane near Highway 99 in Visalia, Calif. Joshua Yeager / Visalia Times-Delta via USA Today Network

Sheriff’s Sgt. Jesse Cox told reporters it took first responders some time to locate the wreckage because of darkness and dense fog.

There were four people aboard the Beechcraft Bonanza, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Four people were killed in the crash, Cox said. The victims were not immediately identified.

Around four minutes elapsed between takeoff and the first 911 call, Cox said. It wasn’t immediately known where the plane was headed.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.