Small plane crashes on Catalina Island, 5 people die

A plane taking off from Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California crashed Tuesday evening, killing all five people on board, the Federal Aviation Administration reports.

According to the agency, four passengers and the pilot were on board a twin-engine turboprop plane when it crashed near the island’s private airport around 8 p.m. local time.

The Beechcraft 95 crashed shortly after leaving Catalina Airport a little more than 6.4 miles northwest of Avalon, the FAA told USA TODAY.

Records show the plane crashed about a mile from the airport “under unknown circumstances.”

All five people aboard the plane, including the pilot, died, the FAA reported.

The island, one of California’s Channel Islands, is located about 21 miles southwest of Los Angeles. The average population is around 5,500 full-time residents.

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The plane took off from Santa Monica Airport earlier in the evening

According to FlightAware, an aircraft tracking website, the plane took off from Santa Monica Airport earlier in the evening at 5:57 p.m. and landed at Catalina Airport at 6:20 p.m

After taking off from Avalon Airport, online logs show the plane traveled only a short distance from the airport runway before losing radar coverage.

According to Los Angeles County Fire and the Avalon Sheriff’s Station, operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, crews responded to the accident around 8:30 p.m

Who was on board the plane that crashed off Catalina Island?

As of Wednesday morning, local officials had not confirmed the identities of the passengers aboard the plane.

USA TODAY has reached out to local authorities.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash, with the NTSB leading the investigation, the FAA said.

This is a developing story.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Small plane crashes on Catalina Island, multiple deaths reported