THREE DEAD IN VOLCAN MOUNTAIN CRASH; PLANE MAY BE MISSING FLIGHT SCHOOL AIRCRAFT OUT OF GILLESPIE FIELD
By Miriam Raftery
Photo: ECM news partner 10 News
May 13, 2018 (El Cajon) – Three bodies have been found at the site of a plane that crashed Thursday night on Volcan Mountain near Ranchita. The crash sparked a brush fire that burned a dozen acres.
Although firefighters located the plane on Friday, Sheriff’s search and rescue crews were unable to reach the crash site until Sunday, after firefighters contained the brush fire 100 percent.
The bodies, which have not yet been identified, have not yet been removed due to high winds that have prevented a helicopter from landing in the steep, rugged terrain, says Lieutenant Greg Rylaarsdam with the Sheriff’s department.
The plane has not been identified, though searchers continue combing through the wreckage seeking a tail number or other identifying information.
However, a Beechcraft Duchess twin-engine plane owned by Scandinavian Aviation Academy at Gillespie Field went missing Thursday and never made it to the Ramona air field where it was reportedly heading.
According to 10 News, the same plane was involved in a hard landing at Gillespie Field in 2013.