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Employee of Rancho Cordova Police Department killed in Auburn plane crash | Update

According to investigators, the plane crashed wing-first into the trees and was “extremely mangled” by the time first responders made it to the scene.

AUBURN, Calif — Two people are dead and one more has been injured after an airplane crashed Friday morning one mile north of the Auburn Municipal Airport, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office.

A representative from the FAA Pacific Division said there were reportedly three people on board the flight. The plane was a single-engine Stinson Vultee V-77. A report of a plane down was first reported around 10 a.m.

The Placer County Sheriff's Office identified the two men who died as Anthony Lawrence Wright Sr., 80, of Meadow Vista, and his son, Anthony Lawrence Wright Jr., 55, of Meadow Vista. The injured person has not yet been identified. 

Wright Jr. was Reserve Deputy Sheriff and a full-time records officer with the Rancho Cordova Police Department.

A Placer County Sheriff's spokesperson said of the three people on-board the aircraft, one was killed on impact. The second victim passed away at the hospital.

According to investigators, the plane crashed wing-first into the trees and was “extremely mangled” by the time first responders made it to the scene. Officials did not say if the plane took off or was flying into the Auburn Municipal airport.

Susan Oste lives just a mile away from the airport, so she's used to hearing planes flying throughout the day. Oste told ABC10 that this plane sounded different.

"It was extremely loud and the engine sounded pretty bad," Oste recalled. "After that we heard this enormous crash. I thought it was below my neighbors driveway but there was nothing."

The plane went down just a few yards from Oste's neighbor's front door.

Dry Creek Road between Black Oak and Haines Road near the Black Oak Golf Course in Auburn is closed to commuters. Authorities suggest using alternative routes.

Investigators with the National Transportation and Safety Board [NTSB] and the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] are assisting with the investigation.

Crews with CAL FIRE and the Placer County Fire Department are checking to see if any fuel from the plane could present a problem to local ground water sources.

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History of the single-engine Stinson Vultee V-77, the plane that crashed in Auburn

A small, single-engine aircraft went down near the Auburn airport in May 2019. The pilot was a student practicing emergency landings when he crashed. He sustained minor injuries at the time of the accident. 

The last fatal incident at the Auburn airport took place in 2013 when the pilot and passenger died after losing control. In the past 25 years, there have been 35 accidents and 8 fatalities at or near this airport.

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Neighbor describes Auburn plane crash | RAW

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