6 victims in Southern California business jet crash identified
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has released the identities of the six victims who died in a small plane crash near the French Valley Airport in Murrieta early Saturday morning.
The victims include the pilots, Riese Lenders, 25, of Rancho Palos Verdes and 32-year-old Manuel Vargas-Regalado of Temecula, as well as his wife, 33-year-old Abigail Tellez-Vargas.
Former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores posted that Vargas-Regalado and Tellez-Vargas were a couple originally from San Benito.
“Manny and Abby were San Benito High School sweethearts living the American Dream with their 5 beautiful children,” Flores said in a Facebook post. “They were truly an inspiration to us all.”
In addition, 46-year-old Ibrahem and 51-year-old Alma Razick of Temecula were also killed in the crash.
The sixth victim was identified as Lindsey Gleiche, 31, of Huntington Beach.
All six victims died after heavy fog limited visibility near the French Valley Airport, causing the business jet to miss the runway by several hundred yards.
The pilot reported to air traffic control that he would be performing a “missed approach” — a technique used when a pilot cannot clearly see the runway — the National Transportation Safety Board said in a press conference held on Saturday.
“Preliminary information indicates the airplane crashed short of French Valley Airport during its second approach around 4:15 a.m.,” NTSB said.
The plane crashed about 500 feet short of the runway and by the time authorities arrived at the scene, most of the airplane had been consumed by flames, officials said.
This crash marks the second deadly incident at the French Valley Airport in one week, after a man was killed shortly after his plane took off from the airstrip on Tuesday.
Source: KVEO-TV
