Cessna 421 Was Out Of Bullhead City (AZ)

At least five people are dead after the crash of a Cessna 421 "Golden Eagle" (file photo of type, right) near the border between California and Arizona Friday. 

San Bernardino County (CA) sheriff's deputies said the aircraft was on a flight from Bullhead City (AZ) to Van Nuys (CA) when it began to lose altitude. It went down in the desert about 75 miles east of Barstow. Sheriff's deputies said the 421 disappeared from radar at an altitude of 7200 ft. MSL.

"We don't know when the crash occurred, but we know that it made a rapid descent at 12:25 p.m.," said Chip Patterson, a spokesman for the San Bernardino sheriff in an interview with The Desert Dispatch.

Names of the victims -- apparently three men and two women -- haven't yet been released by local authorities. But the FAA said the pilot was an elderly man on the verge of his 90th birthday with more than 50 years of flight experience. The 421 was registered to Robert S. Brown of Burbank (CA), but there was no indication whether he was on board.

FMI: www.faa.gov/avr/aai/iirform.htm