1 Dead When Experimental Plane Crashes Near Livermore

LIVERMORE (CBS SF) -- At least one person has died in an experimental plane that crashed and sparked a brush fire in a field in Alameda County near Livermore Saturday afternoon, a fire battalion chief said.

According to Federal Aviation Administration official Allen Kenitzer, the small aircraft, described as an experimental Loehle Mustang, crashed in a field about 2 to 3 miles northeast of Livermore shortly after departing from Livermore Municipal Airport.

The crash was reported near North Livermore Avenue just north of Interstate Highway 580 shortly before 5 p.m., Alameda County fire Battalion Chief John Walsh said.

When emergency crews arrived at the wreckage, one person was declared deceased at the scene, according to the fire battalion chief.

Kenitzer said a second person may have been on board, but no information has been released.

The crash sparked a brush fire that reached about 1.5 acres, before it was contained at 5:17 p.m., Walsh said.

The cause of the plane crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.