Pilot dies in South Lake Tahoe plane crash

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) - A pilot has been killed in a small plane crash near Lake Tahoe Airport.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus says the Cessna 150 crashed shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday. The wreckage was found about 800 feet east of a runway.

Lt. Les Lovell of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office says preliminary information indicates the pilot was trying to take off from the airport when the crash happened. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

The pilot's name was not immediately released.

The aircraft was registered to the Winterset Aero Club, based in Winterset, Iowa. The club's president told KRNV television that the plane was sold to a California resident in May.