A Sierra snowstorm on Saturday night caused a small plane to crash in California, resulting in the death of two people, SFGate reported.
The aircraft crashed in Truckee near Glenshire Drive and Olympic Boulevard.
According to a statement posted by The Truckee Fire Department, the crash occurred between the Truckee River and nearby railroad tracks.
The Truckee Fire Protection District said it was responding to the scene of a downed aircraft Saturday evening.
The reason for the crash is still unknown and the identity of the victims hasn’t been disclosed.
Private plane crashes are a serious concern. According to Business Insider, there are about 19 fatal accidents per year in private aviation. Most of these accidents occur in the "general aviation industry" and about 75% of them are caused by pilot errors, Gitnux reported.
More than half of the accidents involve single-engine planes and the risk of death in a private plane accident is about one in 50.
Fortunately, the number of accidents has decreased by 12.7% between 2000 and 2019.
In 2020, there were 1,007 total private plane accidents in the United States.
According to the National Security Council, the number of accidents involving a US registered civilian aircraft increased from 1,220 in 2021 to 1,277 in 2022.
However, the number of civil aviation deaths decreased from 373 in 2021 to 358 in 2022.