MURRIETA, Calif. (KGTV) - Daunting questions remain after a devastating plane crash in Riverside County killed six people on Saturday, leaving no survivors.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the plane crash.
A Cessna C550 business jet went down in a field near the French Valley Airport and burst into flames around 4:15 a.m., according to the FAA.
It took firefighters more than an hour to extinguish the flames, which had engulfed the plane and charred about an acre of vegetation just north of French Valley Airport, said the Riverside County Fire Department.
"The airplane, with the exception of the tail, was consumed by fire," an NTSB spokesperson said during a press conference.
NTSB said the plane had been en route from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas when it crashed short of the French Valley Airport.
A video taken shortly after the crash showed the area's foggy conditions.
Patrick O'Neil works at a nursery that is directly in the flight path of the French Valley Airport.
"What was in their head knowing that they're trying to land... Probably aren't going to make it. I just put myself in that position and think about how scary that is," O'Neil said. "Almost like you're blindfolded. Can't see two, five feet in front of you."
O'Neil said at his job, they see hundreds upon hundreds of planes take off and land.
Retired PSA and U.S. Airways Captain Joe Graham said no pilot should have been flying into that airport at the time, given the weather.
"This airport was not a good airport to be flying in the fog," Graham said. "Just very, very sad, and I hate to say pilot error, but when an airplane flies into the ground on an incident approach, it's… You have a hard time not at least thinking that."
Investigators say it's too soon to tell what happened exactly.
"It appears that the weather was at the minimums for landing at that airport, so the visibility and ceiling allowed for a landing, but it was right at the minimums," the NTSB spokesperson said. "Right now, we're in an evidence gathering phase, so it would be too soon to come to any conclusion."
A man claiming to be good friends with the pilot told ABC 10News that the pilot and his wife had gone to watch the UFC fights in Vegas the night before the crash.
The preliminary report is expected to be published 15 days after the accident.
"Once on scene, the investigators will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft. Part of the investigation will be to request radar data, weather information, maintenance records and the pilot’s medical records. NTSB investigators will look at the human, machine and environment as the outline of the investigation," according to an NTSB press release.
The victims of the crash have not been identified as of Saturday evening.
"My sincerest condolences to the families and the friends and anyone effected by this," O'Neil said.
