The investigation into the tragic crash of a Cessna business jet near the French Valley Airport, which resulted in the loss of all six lives on board, continues. This incident marks the second fatal crash near the airport within four days.
The Riverside County Fire Department reported that the crash occurred at around 4:15 a.m. on Saturday near Auld and Briggs roads. Deputies discovered the aircraft fully engulfed in flames in a field. Sadly, all six occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.
Late on Saturday, the Riverside County coroner’s office identified the victims as:
– Riese Lenders, 25, of Rancho Palos Verdes;
– Lindsey Gleiche, 31, of Huntington Beach;
– Manuel Vargas-Regalado, 32, of Temecula;
– Abigail Tellez-Vargas, 33, of Murrieta;
– Ibrahem Razick, 46, of Temecula;
– Alma Razick, 51, of Temecula.
Eliott Simpson from the National Transportation Safety Board stated that the person in the pilot seat was a certified commercial pilot. However, it was not specified which of the victims held this position.
According to Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Mina Kaji, the flight originated from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
Shortly before the twin-jet plane was due to land, a marine layer caused low visibility in the area. Simpson explained that “The pilot reported to air traffic control that he was going to perform a missed approach, which generally happens when a pilot can’t see the runway.” This occurred during a Saturday evening news conference.
The Cessna Citation C550 business jet crashed about 500 feet short of the intended landing runway, and except for the tail, most of the aircraft was consumed by the fire.
Tellez-Vargas, as per her Instagram profile, worked as a real estate agent, with Vargas-Regalado being her husband and a pilot. Lenders, also according to his Instagram profile, was a pilot as well.
In an Instagram post, one of Lenders’ friends with the username @hanroeck expressed, “Riese, you were such a beacon of light in my life for the past 12 years… I’ll always think of you when I see an airplane up above.”
Bre’Andrea Jones, a friend of Tellez-Vargas and Vargas-Regalado, shared on Instagram, “Some people, I don’t know, I guess I expect them to live forever… My heart continues to ache with pain for the kids. I don’t even want to believe that this unfortunate situation happened to y’all.”
According to Tellez-Vargas’ Instagram profile, she and Vargas-Regalado leave behind five children, with the youngest being only one year old.
The NTSB, along with representatives from the FAA and Cessna, plans to conduct a thorough investigation at the crash site. This investigation is expected to take up to two days. A preliminary report will be released in 14 business days, while the final report is anticipated within 12 to 18 months, according to Simpson.
On July 4, a Cessna 172 crashed during departure from the airport, resulting in the death of a student pilot and injuries to three others. This incident is also under investigation.
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