The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration Saturday were investigating the cause of a single-propeller airplane crash in Sylmar that claimed the lives of two people.
The aircraft was described as a single-engine Mooney M20, according to FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.
The crash near the Golden State (5) Freeway was reported at 2:52 p.m. Friday, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Marvin Lin.
“It’s actually in the hills above the Sunshine Canyon Landfill, near the intersection of Sunshine Canyon and San Fernando Road,” LACFD spokesman Sean Ferguson said.
There was still no word on the genders or ages of the victims. Their names will be withheld pending notification of relatives.
The search for the wreckage was hampered by difficult terrain and poor visibility. Crews did not reach the crash site until after 5 p.m., officials said.
Los Angeles city firefighters and sheriff’s deputies from the Santa Clarita station also aided in the search.
The plane had taken off from Southwest Oregon Regional Airport in North Bend, Oregon, NBC4 reported.
The airplane disappeared from the radar while inbound to the Van Nuys Airport about 1:50 p.m., Gregor said.
“The FAA and NTSB will investigate,” he said. “The NTSB is the lead investigative agency and it typically takes them a year or more to determine a probable cause for an accident.”