Crime & Safety

Two Die in Plane Crash Near Desert Center

A small plane crashed Monday afternoon near Desert Center and two people on board were found deceased when deputies responded, local and federal authorities said.

About 1:26 p.m. Aug. 26 deputies responded to the report of a plane down north of Desert Center between Kaiser Road and Highway 177, Deputy Julio Oseguera of the sheriff's Palm Desert Station said in a phone interview.


The two occupants of the plane were dead when deputies arrived and coroner's investigators were called out, Oseguera said. Their identities were withheld pending family notifications.

The plane involved was a Grumman AA-1A Yankee, Allen Kenitzer of the FAA said in an email. He said the plane crashed under unknown circumstances.

Both the FAA and NTSB were investigating the crash and the NTSB was designated the lead investigative agency, Kenitzer said.

Weather in the Coachella Valley on Monday was nothing like Sunday, when monsoonal thunderstorms and remnants of Tropical Storm Ivo unleashed widespread flash flooding across the region.

There may have been drizzle or light rain at times Monday in the Desert Center area, but conditions were not as volatile as Sunday, Oseguera said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.