2 dead after World War II small plane crashes near Chino airport; investigation ongoing

CHINO, Calif. (KABC) – Two people aboard a small World War II plane were killed when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Chino Airport, officials said.

A twin-engine Lockheed 12A crashed around 12:35 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement. The plane was found off the runway when crews arrived, according to ABC News.

A spokesman for the Chino Valley Fire District confirmed that there were two fatalities in the incident. There were no other people on board the plane and no one on the ground was injured.

The dead could not be identified immediately.

According to a witness, the two men killed were part of a Father’s Day event at the Yanks Air Museum.

“I had met one of the pilots shortly before… I took photos with him,” the witness said.

He said he was taking photos and videos when the accident happened.

“There was a shrub or bush in front of me, a tall one, maybe ten or twelve feet tall, and I had to go around it, and when I went around it, the plane disappeared behind it,” he said. “But then when I went around it, the plane started to lean to the left… very hard, and started to descend.”

The witness recalled the moment of impact and said it “happened right before his eyes.”

“It went into a dive and the first part of the plane to hit was the left wing, and that’s where the fuel was, and what happened then was an instant explosion.”

The cause of the crash is still unclear. The FAA said the agency and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

An NTSB investigator is expected to be on site Sunday to begin documenting the accident scene and examining the aircraft. The aircraft will then be recovered and transported to a secure facility for further investigation.