Light Plane Crashes Into Hillside In Ocotillo Wells, Killing Pilot

OCOTILLO WELLS, CA — The pilot of a light aircraft was killed Tuesday when the plane crashed into a desert hillside in the far eastern reaches of San Diego County, authorities reported.

The Piper PA-22 went down shortly before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday off Quarry Road in Ocotillo Wells, near state Route 78 and just west of Imperial County, according to Cal Fire and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The crew of a sheriff's helicopter located the wreckage of the four-seat airplane on a promontory known as Blowsand Hill, said Josh Cormode, a fire captain with the state agency.

Cal Fire crews then hiked to the site of the crash and discovered the body of the decedent, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft when it went down, according to Cal Fire and the FAA.

— City News Service