Pilot Lost In Sunday Night Mishap

A female survivor managed to walk away from the wreckage of a downed plane that left the pilot dead Sunday night near Round Lake, in northeastern California. Local authorities located her and transported her immediately to a local hospital by helicopter.

Authorities are investigating the crash just south of Round Lake at 8,000 feet, according to El Dorado County Sheriff's Lt. Les Lovell. The Reno-Tahoe International Airport received an emergency beacon from a downed plane around 2000 PDT Sunday, Lovell said. Alpine County and El Dorado County Sheriff's Departments dispatched search crews.

California Highway Patrol helicopter spotted the wreckage around 0800 local time Monday, according to The Associated Press. The survivor, a 35-year-old woman, confirmed there was only herself and the deceased person onboard the aircraft.

FAA records identify the accident aircraft as a Scottish Aviation Bulldog, a 1970s-era piston-engined military trainer (file photo of type, below).

Authorities are still collecting information regarding the airplane's flight path, the deceased pilot and the cause of the accident. So far, they know the plane left from the Lake Tahoe Airport after refueling.

Rick Jenkins, Lake Tahoe Airport manager, heard of the crash from the Alpine County Sheriff's Department and checked the Lake Tahoe Airport's recorder. Trajen, the fixed base operator at the city airport, didn't note any unusual activity.

  Regis#: 706X        Make/Model: EXP       Description: SCOTTISH BULLDOG MDL
  Date: 04/07/2007     Time: 0000

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: SOUTH LAKE TAHOE   State: NV   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE WERE TWO PERSONS ON
  BOARD, ONE WAS FATALLY INJURED, ONE SUSTAINED UNKNOWN INJURIES, 10 MILES
  FROM SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, NV

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   2     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   1
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  Departed: PALO ALTO, CA               Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination:                          Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: RENO, NV  (WP11)                      Entry date: 04/10/2007

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.scottishaviation.com