APPLE VALLEY, California: Authorities say a small jet has crashed and burned at a Southern California desert airport, killing both people on board.
Fire officials say the jet, identified as an L-39, went down after taking off around 2 p.m. Sunday at the Apple Valley Airport in San Bernardino County, about 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Fire Marshal Jason Nailon said a witness reported seeing flames out of the engine as the jet was taxiing down the runway.
Nobody on the ground was hurt, but the airport was shut for 24 hours as the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board investigate.
The L-39 is a two-seat, high-performance jet trainer aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia.
The victims have not been identified.
AP
