A plane crashed east of the 14 Freeway in Santa Clarita Saturday morning, killing the only person on board, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.
Authorities confirmed the crash after 10 a.m. on Saturday morning in a tweet. The aircraft was allegedly "engulfed in flames" after it crashed, according to officials.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department was dispatched to the scene at
10:11 a.m., and reported that it was a single-engine plane, and
that at least one person was dead.
Authorities said the plane departed from Van Nuys Airport. The plane was completely destroyed and the fire was put out by 11 a.m. according to authorities.
The FAA said the plane was a homebuilt TM-1 Thunder Mustang and that the plane burned after crashing. Authorities said they believe that only person in the plane was the pilot. The pilot has not been identified.
Another pilot who witnessed the accident called the pilot's actions heroic because he avoided the busy freeway nearby when he crashed.
U.S. & World
"He is a hero because if you go on the freeway there was a lot of traffic," said Aaron Tapia. "It could've put a lot of souls in danger."
In a released distress call the pilot can be heard complaining of visibility issues.
The FAA and NTSB was investigating the cause of the crash.
In addition, the northbound 14 Freeway off-ramp to the westbound Newhall Avenue and the Newhall Avenue onramp to the northbound 14 Freeway were closed due to the investigation, according to the California Highway Patrol.
