Two dead after plane crash near South Lake Tahoe, sheriff says. Investigation underway

A plane crash in Northern California killed two people aboard, authorities said Thursday.

The Alpine County Sheriff’s Office was notified of an “overdue” single-engine plane about 1 a.m. Thursday and tracked it to Willow Creek Road near Luther Pass, sheriff’s officials said in a social media post. The mountainous area is between Alpine and El Dorado counties, about 10 miles south of South Lake Tahoe.

Both people were declared dead at the scene. There were no other passengers aboard, deputies said.

On Saturday, the victims were identified as Raphael Jones Jr., 74, of San Jose and his cousin, Nannete Singer, 80, of Lodi.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating after the Luscombe 8A crashed.

This story was originally published June 13, 2024 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Two dead after plane crash near South Lake Tahoe, sheriff says. Investigation underway."