2 Children Killed In CA Plane Crash, 2 Adults In Critical Condition: Authorities

FRESNO, CA — Two children were dead and two adults were in critical condition after a plane crash Saturday in Fresno, according to authorities.

Emergency personnel responded around 1:50 p.m. to the scene in the 7300 block of North Blythe Avenue, where a fixed-wing, single-engine airplane was on fire atop the bluff of the San Joaquin River, authorities said.

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The children were pronounced dead at the scene and the adults were taken to a hospital, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze, preventing it from spreading to nearby homes, authorities said, adding the sheriff's office was holding a safety perimeter Sunday.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it had opened an investigation into Saturday's crash of a Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-5 airplane, which impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Sierra Skypark in Fresno.

An NTSB investigator was traveling to the crash site, officials said. After the wreckage is documented, it will be recovered and moved to a secure facility for further examination, officials added.

A preliminary report is expected within 30 days of the crash, the NTSB said.

Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi in a statement described the crash as "a rare and tragic situation in northwest Fresno."

"I ask our community to pray for this family who are going through something unimaginable," he said in the statement.