Sheriff’s deputy among dead in plane crash near Big Bear Mountain
Two people are dead, one of which was a San Bernardino Sheriff’s Deputy, after their plane crashed in rural terrain near Big Bear Mountain.
According to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, an aerial search on Sunday morning located the wreckage of a single engine aircraft that had crashed in the Big Bear area. A flight crew member was hoisted to the site and located the bodies of a man and a woman.
The female has been identified as Rebecca Joan Raymond, 28. Raymond was a San Bernardino County Deputy Sheriff assigned to the Barstow Sheriff’s Station. She had reportedly been with the department since September of 2016.
Deputies were first alerted to a possible issue on Saturday night around 10:30, when the Apple Valley Police Department was requested to search the Apple Valley Airport for a vehicle belonging to one of the victims. The reporting party told authorities that the victims had planned to fly in from Big Bear and were overdue. Deputies found the vehicle at the airport and contacted the Aviation Division for assistance.
That aerial search covered the area between the Big Bear and Apple Valley airports. The wreckage was located around 9:30 Sunday morning by crew members aboard 40K3.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were contacted and have responded to assist the Sheriff’s Aviation Division with the investigation. The cause of the collision is unknown at this time and the agency said the investigation is ongoing.
Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 for the latest details as they become available.
