San Gabriel Valley Plane Crash Kills Pilot In Homebuilt Plane

EL MONTE, CA - A pilot of a homebuilt plane was killed Friday morning when his plane crashed just after takeoff from San Gabriel Valley Airport.

The unidentified pilot died at the scene. He was the only person onboard the plane, which crashed on the 4000 block of Santa Anita Avenue. Paramedics arrived at the scene at about 9:30 a.m., and pronounced the pilot dead at the scene, according to the county fire department.

Authorities withheld his name, pending notification of his relatives.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane was a "homebuilt, single-engine Pazmany PL-2" that crashed on airport property while departing from Runway 19 around 9:30 a.m. The pilot was the only person on board, according to the FAA.

An investigation will be conducted by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

The airport was formerly known as El Monte Airport.

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City News Service contributed to this report. Photo: Shutterstock