Plane crash near Truckee kills pilot

TRUCKEE — The pilot of a small plane that crashed Thursday afternoon in a remote area of the Tahoe National Forest is dead, an official said Friday.

The identity of the pilot, who was the only person aboard the twin-engine Cessna 421 at the time of the crash, had not been released as of Friday afternoon, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer.

The crash was reported at 1:35 p.m. Thursday, east of Stampede and Boca Springs reservoirs, roughly 15 miles northeast of Truckee, said Ann Westling, public affairs officer with Tahoe National Forest.

Multiple agencies responded to the crash, including Cal Fire, Truckee Fire Protection District, Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Tahoe National Forest and Sierra County Fire and Sheriff’s Office, she said.

Truckee Fire spokesman Paul Spencer said the terrain where the plane crashed is rugged, and responders needed to hike to the site.

The plane was en route to Reno when it went off the radar at 1:25 p.m., about 10 miles west of Verdi, Kenitzer said.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident, with NTSB acting as the lead agency, Kenitzer said.