Pilot Killed in Plane Crash Near Cuyama
The Single-Engine Plane Went Down at Around 9:30 A.M.
The pilot of a single-engine plane was killed this morning in a crash near Cuyama in the Los Padres National Forest. It’s unclear what caused the plane to go down, and the pilot’s identity has not been released.
Firefighters responding to a 9:30 a.m. report of smoke discovered a one-acre brush fire next to a large debris field in a remote area of Ventura County two miles east of Highway 33, said Captain Dave Zaniboni with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. Engine crews assisted by a Ventura County Fire Department helicopter quickly contained the blaze, and investigators have arrived on the scene, Zaniboni said.
FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor identified the aircraft as a S312 Tucano MK1. He could not confirm its tail number. Gregor said the crash occurred “under unknown circumstances” and that only the pilot was on board. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the accident, and “it typically takes NTSB months to come up with a probable cause,” Gregor explained. Neither the FAA nor NTSB names people involved in aircraft accidents, he said.
