North Highlands man among four people killed in Humboldt County plane crash

A Sacramento man was among four people killed in a small plane crash at Dinsmore Airport in Humboldt County that occurred around Thursday noon, officials said.

The fixed-wing plane crashed near the airport, then caught on fire, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s office. The fire was extinguished before it could spread to the nearby forest. It is still unclear what led to the crash.

No passengers survived. Among those who died was Kenneth John Malinowski, 62, from North Highlands.

Other victims were 69-year-old Henry Punt from Los Angeles County, 63-year-old Steve Sanz from Orange County, and 56-year-old Jacquie Ann Figg from Sam Bernardino County.

People from the local community assisted with minimizing the progression of the fire, officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.