1 dead in small plane crash near Olympic Valley in Lake Tahoe area

By Cecilio Padilla

A pilot has died following a small plane crash in the Lake Tahoe area backcountry over the weekend, authorities say.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office says the crash was reported around 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

It appears the plane, a Beechcraft A36, was on its way to the Truckee-Tahoe Airport when it crashed southwest of Olympic Valley.

Officials noted that they got an Apple crash alert in the area around the same time the plane disappeared from radar.

Rugged terrain dots the area where the crash took place, prompting search crews to be flown in along with trekking in on foot.

The sheriff’s office says one person was found dead inside the plane. The pilot was the only occupant, officials say.

Authorities have not released the name of the person who died.

Exactly what led up to the crash is being investigated by the NTSB as well as the FAA. Due to the crash and investigation, the Tahoe National Forest says the Five Lakes area will be closed through April 7.