Death toll in Truckee jet crash confirmed at 6 — DNA to be used to identify victims

Authorities in Nevada County are saying six people were aboard the twin-engine jet that crashed and burst into flames Monday afternoon near Truckee-Tahoe Airport.

Nevada County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Andrew Trygg confirmed the new death toll of four passengers and two crew in a Wednesday update.

No names have been released yet from the crash. Officials said they must use DNA evidence to identify the individuals due to the quarter-acre wildfire, and that process is expected to take a few months.



A Federal Aviation Administration report that was released Tuesday had said two passengers and two crew were aboard the Bombardier CL 600 jet. Officials had confirmed in a Tuesday evening briefing that there were no survivors.

“There’s not much intact at the crash site,” Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said.

The Truckee-Tahoe Airport said in a Facebook post the aircraft is a twin turbojet Challenger 605 manufactured by Bombardier. According to the airport, the jet was making its way to land on Runway 11, a 7,000-foot runway that requires a base turn, when it hit “heavily treed terrain.”

Witnesses near the scene reported seeing a fireball and smoke near the Ponderosa Golf Course. Michael Kennedy, who was on the airport airfield, saw a huge mushroom cloud as smoke spread into the runway. Video from Matt Mehan shows a large blaze surrounding the crash site.

Flight logs show the jet, which seats up to 14 people and a crew of two, was traveling from the Coeur D’Alene Airport in Idaho and was scheduled to continue to Thermal in Riverside County before heading to Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are continuing to investigate the incident.

This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 3:44 PM.