Deputies: Texts Indicate Plane Crash Near Redding Was Intentional

REDDING, Calif. (AP) - Sheriff's deputies in Northern California say text messages a man sent to his friends and family led them to conclude he committed suicide by crashing a plane.

Shasta County Sheriff's Deputy Dustin Reynolds says the messages 34-year-old Zachary Cain Stickler sent before he crashed on Saturday indicated he was distraught and planned to kill himself. Reynolds says there was no indication he wanted to hurt anyone else.

The crash occurred around 8:30 a.m. in a pasture east of Redding.

Reynolds says the Federal Aviation Administration will review the sheriff's department's investigation of the crash for its own report, but not come to the scene.