Private jet crashes and EXPLODES into a fireball near a Lake Tahoe golf course, killing all three people on board who investigators haven't identified: Neighbors say their homes shook
A private jet crashed and burst into a violent fireball in the Lake Tahoe area that shook nearby homes, killing all three people on board.
The Bombardier CL 600 was turning on Monday to land at the Truckee Tahoe Airport in Northern California at around 1.20pm when officials said it went down in a wooded area adjacent to the airport near the Ponderosa Golf Course.
The crash also sparked a small forest fire, which authorities were able to put out.
The names of those onboard have not been released as of Tuesday morning, a Nevada County, California, Sheriff's Department spokeswoman told DailyMail.com
No one on the ground was injured.
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A private jet crashed and exploded into a fireball near a golf course in Truckee California Monday afternoon killing all three on board
Images of the scene show flaming debris in the immediate aftermath of the crash, which occurred in a populated area
The crash sparked a small wildfire which was quickly extinguished officials said
'It was very fortunate where the crash site is that it didn't hit any residential structures,' Nevada County Coroner Shannon Moon said at a news conference Monday evening. 'Everyone at the scene can appreciate that.'
She said investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board would be on site Tuesday morning to begin work to identify the people on board.
'We haven't positively identified anyone on that aircraft,' Moon said. 'We're not releasing any of the potential names or any things that ... we've been hearing some surmising on some questions as to who was on that aircraft.
'At this time, we haven't confirmed any positive identifications so we're not releasing any information and that is also to make sure that we absolutely care for the victims families who we have not notified because the victims haven't been notified.'
She added: 'There's not much intact at the crash scene.'
The model of plane was a Bombardier CL 600 like the one pictured above
The plane took off at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho at 11.45am on Monday, according to flight records and is registered to Florida-based Tarco Aircraft Funding.
The tail number of the craft was N605TR, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
That model of aircraft can seat up to 14 passengers and two crew members, the Chronicle reported. Three people were on board, who all died, authorities said. The full itinerary of the plane wasn't released.
The jet hit the ground between two nearby houses, witnesses told the the outlet, and sparked a fire that was quickly extinguished.
'We're very fortunate that it landed where it did and that no structures or people on the ground were harmed,' Truckee Police Department spokesman Deverie Acuff said at Monday's news conference.
The plane took off at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho at 11.45am on Monday, according to flight records and is registered to Florida-based Tarco Aircraft Funding
A spokesperson for Truckee Tahoe airport said there had been smoke and haze in the Tahoe Basin at the time but the area directly around the airport was clear.
'There were no restrictions to visibility the aircraft could see the airport and they were talking to our control tower,' he said.
The pilot of the craft reported to air traffic controllers that he would need to circle the airport runway before his final approach, according to a recording of the conversation.
'We look forward to seeing you guys,' he said, before reporting that he had the runway in sight.
'It was kind of a shocker, very heartbreaking,' Caroline Bechdolt, Ponderosa Golf Course co-manager told the San Francisco Chronicle. She said one of the wheels of the plane had broken off and flown into the garage of an adjacent home.
Witnesses on the ground said the their homes shook in the crash.
The sound of a the incoming jet engines can be heard in audio from a nearby home surveillance camera before a loud impact and subsequent pops.