Three people died on Monday, May 1 after a small airplane crashed near the Big Bear Airport, authorities said.
Big Bear Fire was called to an aircraft down in a vacant lot at the corner of Paradise Way and Maltby Blvd., Big Bear City, at approx. 2:02 p.m. Crews arrived on scene in approx. three minutes. There were three souls on board, all of which perished as a result of this accident. pic.twitter.com/3EL3pOLXwg
— Big Bear Fire Dept (@bigbearfiredept) May 1, 2023
The Big Bear Fire Department said on social media it responded to an airplane down in a vacant lot at Paradise Way and Maltby Boulevard at around 2 p.m. The location is about a mile east of the Big Bear Airport.
Anna Chilcoat, a lifelong resident of Big Bear, and Kevin Shillabeer were pulling into their driveway on Monday when a neighbor informed them about the plane crash about a block over from their home.
“I’ve seen many airplane crashes up here as a local and many people have lost their lives. A lot of good friends of ours too,” Chilcoat said in an interview with freelance news organization OnScene.TV.
Chilcoat said she sees aircraft crashes like this in Big Bear “every five to ten years,” due in part to the difficulty navigating the mountain range for pilots not familiar with the terrain.
“A lot of people won’t fly here out of caution, especially when the Santa Anas start,” Chilcoat said. “The winds are unpredictable, especially since we are the only mountains that go from east to west.”
Crews found a small private plane that was severely damaged. Three people were found on board the plane, and were all pronounced dead at the scene. Their names were not immediately released.
The crash did not result in a fire, authorities said. It happened in partly cloudy weather.
The plane is a single-engine Beechcraft A36, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The crash will be investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Staff writer Hunter Lee contributed to this story.