Identifying the pilot who died in a fiery plane crash Sunday evening in a Riverside neighborhood could take days, authorities said Monday.
The certified pilot's body was burned beyond recognition and officials are working to identify him with dental records, Riverside Fire Department officials said. He was the only passenger in the Beechcraft F35 plane and the only person killed in the crash, which occurred around 5 p.m. Sunday.
The pilot, who is believed to be from California, called the Riverside Airport Tower requesting to land because of engine problems after departing from Brackett Field Airport in La Verne at 4:19 p.m. In his last transmission before his death, he said, "I don't think that I am going to make the landing," before the plane crashed into the chain link fence of a home in the 4500 block of Adams Street and burst into flames.
Although plane barely missed two single-family homes, the fire did not damage any nearby houses, and firefighters were able to extinguish the flames. The fence stopped the plane from moving forward and reaching any houses, Riverside fire officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
