Passenger on plane that crashed after takeoff ID’d as West Sacramento man
A man who died on Christmas Eve as a result of a plane crash in Rio Linda that day has been identified as Ronnie H. Metcalf, 70, of West Sacramento.
Kim Nava, a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office made the identification to The Sacramento Bee. KCRA reported that Metcalf was a passenger on the small plane, a Piper Cherokee Six. CBS Sacramento first reported the death, citing FAA preliminary crash data.
He was one of two men hospitalized following the crash, along with the plane’s pilot.
The plane crashed near Rio Linda Boulevard and Claire Avenue in North Sacramento’s Robla neighborhood shortly after taking off from Rio Linda Airport. Capt. Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department said that witnesses had seen the plane dropping quickly after hearing the engine cut out.
“Both wings broke off and multiple bystanders ran out there and reported there were two victims trapped,” Sylvia said Wednesday. “Our crews were able to get out there fairly quick considering the conditions.”
Metcalf’s leg was trapped in the plane and it appeared he suffered a broken femur. This is a concern for emergency personnel, Sylvia said, because lacerations of the femoral artery can lead to internal bleeding and relatively rapid death.
“He was a very critical patient,” Sylvia said.
After personnel cut a part of the lower section of the plane, they removed Metcalf from the plane, placed him into a stokes basket and into an ambulance. Metcalf and the pilot, whose name has not been released, were transported to Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, Sylvia said.
At the hospital, Metcalf lost his pulse and became unresponsive, according to Sylvia. Sacramento firefighters and hospital staff began CPR and were able to restore a heartbeat. Metcalf remained unconscious when firefighters left the hospital.
A report about Metcalf’s death wasn’t immediately listed on the Coroner’s Office website. Nava said via email that this could potentially be because the coroner was determining the manner of death.
A preliminary report for the crash had yet to be filed by the National Transportation Safety Board, which was investigating the cause of the crash. An agency spokesperson said these reports are typically issued within 30 days.
There was no update on the pilot’s condition.
This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 3:36 PM.
