Three people died when their small, single-engine airplane crashed into a hillside in Mentone on Friday afternoon, authorities said.
The crash was first reported about 3:30 p.m. near the Crafton Hills, just above the Redlands city water treatment facility along Highway 38, at the border between Mentone and Redlands, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and Redlands Police Department officials.
Three people were believed to have been on board, and all three were killed, Redlands police spokesman Carl Baker said.
The airplane was a single-engine Cessna 172, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said. It crashed “under known circumstances.”
The FAA, as well as the National Transportation Safety Board, are taking part in the investigation.
No further details were available Friday evening.
