Pilot killed after small plane engine fails in crash near Grass Valley’s airport
A Placer County pilot was killed Tuesday morning when his small plane crashed near an industrial tract in Grass Valley, about a mile from Nevada County Airport.
The Grass Valley Police Department said emergency crews responded shortly after the plane went down at 8:19 a.m. on the 1000 block of Whispering Pines Lane.
The aircraft, a 1977 Cessna 177 Cardinal RG, had taken off from Auburn at 8:05 a.m. and appeared to be circling to the left to approach the airport from the west when it went down, according to FlightRadar24, an online flight tracking service. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the four-seat, single-engine aircraft was registered to Robert Lund, 64, of Newcastle, who was identified as the pilot.
Conditions at the airport, which are not controlled by a tower or air traffic personnel, were clear and fair with a slight breeze from the east and 10 miles of visibility, according to the airport’s automated weather station.
The pilot made a mayday call and had clipped trees before going down, officials said at an afternoon news conference. Kevin Edwards, manager of the Nevada County Airport, said Lund had indicated there was an engine failure and had made efforts to avoid inhabited areas before the crash.
Grass Valley police said Lund, the only occupant of the aircraft, was pronounced dead at the scene.
No buildings were damaged in the crash. Authorities closed Whispering Pines Lane in both directions between Centennial Drive and Crown Point Circle to allow for investigation and cleanup. Drivers were urged to use alternate routes.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were notified and responded to the crash site. An NTSB investigator based in Anchorage, Alaska, was expected to arrive late Thursday to begin the on-scene phase of the investigation, a spokesperson for the agency said.
Witnesses or anyone with surveillance footage relevant to the crash are encouraged to contact the agency at witness@ntsb.gov.
This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 9:38 AM.