Had Been A Passenger On A Plane Engaged In Flight Instruction

A 20-year-old woman was fatally injured Monday when the plane she was aboard went down in rugged terrain in the Cleveland National Forest near Ramona Airport in southern California.

According to the San Diego County Sheriff's office, on Sunday, February 12th at 2:29 p.m., San Diego Sheriff's Deputies and crews from CAL FIRE were dispatched to a report of a plane crash east of Ramona near Pamo Road. The plane went down in a remote area.

The plane was ultimately located with the assistance of the Sheriff's Department helicopter (ASTREA); the location of the crash was inaccessible to vehicles. Rescuers were able to reach two victims with non-life threatening injuries and confirm a third had died in the crash. The two victims were transported to a hospital for treatment.

The Sheriff's Department utilized ASTREA to assist the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office and the FAA access the crash site so they could investigate and recover the victim. The victim was recovered on Monday, February 13th at approximately 10:30 a.m.

The M.E.'s Office will identify the body and determine cause and manner of death.

A large crane helicopter will be used to extract the plane from the crash site.

The San Diego Union Tribune reports that the plane, identified only as a "Cessna" was registered to the American Aviation Academy. The flight originated out of Gillespie Field Airport (KSEE) for the purpose of flight instruction.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov