Wreckage of crash that killed pilot scattered in Riverside neighborhood

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board plan to examine the wreckage of a deadly plane crash that remained scattered Monday in the Riverside neighborhood where it crashed.

The identity of the pilot has not been released, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. On Monday, the plane’s wreckage was still resting in the backyard of a home in the 4500 block of Adams Street in Riverside, partially blocking the street.

Hours earlier, Riverside fire officials said the pilot reported an in-flight emergency to air traffic controllers. He was less than a mile from Riverside Municipal Airport.

Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the Beechcraft BE35’s pilot — the only person on board — reported a loss of engine power.

Then about 5 p.m., fire crews responded to the Adams Street neighborhood, where they found the single-engine plane in flames. The plane appeared to have crashed into a light pole before coming to a rest upside down in the home’s backyard.

Flames from the wreckage quickly spread to brush in the backyard and briefly posed a threat to two homes, fire officials said. But more than a dozen firefighters swiftly doused the flames.

Both homes were occupied at the time, but no one on the ground was injured.

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