Five people heading for a skiing trip died Wednesday when their small plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Long Beach, California, officials said. The twin-engine Beechcraft King Air, owned by local property developer Tom Dean, crashed and burst in flames leaving only one survivor among the six people on board, the Long Beach fire department said.
Long Beach airfield director Mario Rodriguez said witnesses reported the plane getting off the ground, then banking hard in an attempt to return to the runway. The aircraft reportedly touched down, but then crashed, burst into flames and skidded to a halt. It was not immediately clear if the pilot made a radio call to the tower before the crash.
The passengers were heading for Salt Lake City to go skiing in the surrounding mountains, said Mike Murchison, a local lobbyist who worked as a spokesman for Dean. "It's just a tragedy," he said, adding that he had been invited on the trip but had declined.