A small airplane crashed near a hiking area in the East County Saturday morning, Cal Fire officials confirmed.
The downed plane was reported at around 10:15 a.m. near Slaughterhouse Canyon Road in Lakeside, within the Sycamore Canyon Open Space Preserve.
Cal Fire Capt. Mike Mohler confirmed reports and said officials responded to the scene just west of State Route 67. Mohler said a hiker in the area first reported the downed aircraft.
A separate Cal Fire official told NBC 7 all three people aboard the plane were confirmed dead at the scene. There are no survivors.
By 11:20 a.m., Heartland Fire crews had hiked into the scene of the crash and made contact with the airplane. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FAA are now investigating the crash.
According to Ian Gregor, public affairs manager for the FAA Pacific Region, the aircraft was an experimental Lancair IV-P plane. It crashed under unknown circumstances.
Gregor says the pilot of the plane had departed from Montgomery Field in San Diego and was headed for Deer Valley Airport in Phoenix, Ariz.
The crash victims’ identities have not yet been released. Check back for updates on this developing story.
Photo Credit: Gitzel Puente