SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A pilot and a passenger died Saturday after their single-engine plane crashed outside a private airport north of Sacramento, authorities said.Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the 1960s Mooney M20E crashed after 9 a.m. west of the Rio Linda Airport. Gregor said the plane was believed to have taken off from the airport.Firefighters found the plane engulfed in flames when they arrived. The bodies were burned beyond recognition, said Sacramento Metropolitan Fire spokesman Capt. Christian Pebbles.Pebbles said the plane crashed just off airport property. No one was injured on the ground.The victims' identities were not released. The Sacramento County Coroner was responding to the scene."We give our condolences. For these people, it was tragic," Pebbles said.Rio Linda is a suburban community, just north of Sacramento.
Copyright 2009 by KTVU.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Sacremento-San Joaquin Delta threatens to push an endangered salmon
into extinction.
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Two Die in Small Plane Crash Near Private Airport
Posted: 2:44 pm PST February 28, 2009
Copyright 2009 by KTVU.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.