Local and federal authorities investigate deadly plane crash near Los Banos

A National Transportation Safety Board investigator was on scene Wednesday, documenting and investigating a fatal plane crash that occurred near Los Banos.

According to the NTSB, the Cessna 172S airplane took off from Reid-Hillview County Airport located in Santa Clara County. According to the Santa Clara County website, the airport, located at 2500 Cunningham Avenue in San Jose, operates 155 hangers, 173 open tie-downs and 52 shelters located at the airport.

The airplane wreckage is expected to be recovered Wednesday, and moved to a secure facility where it will undergo further examination, the NTSB said.

The NTSB said its investigation involves looking into and gathering information not only on the pilot and the aircraft, but also the operating environment. This includes gathering information such as flight tracking data, aircraft maintenance records, the pilot’s license, the pilot’s ratings and recency of flight experience. The investigation will also look into weather forecasts and actual weather conditions around the time of the incident, any witness statements, any electronic devices that could contain information relevant to the NTSB investigation, a 72-hour background of the pilot in order to determine if there were any issues that could affect the pilot’s ability to safely fly, any surveillance video as well as any recordings of air traffic control communications.

The NTSB said it does not make any determination or speculate on the cause of a crash during the on-scene phase of its investigation.

Our original reporting:

Local and federal authorities continue to investigate a deadly plane crash that occurred on Merced County’s west side Tuesday evening.

Authorities are investigating after a small plane crashed about five miles south of the Los Banos Municipal Airport in Merced County, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said the plane involved in the incident was a Cessna 172 and that the pilot was the only person aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash.

Merced County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Aaron Rosenberg said it appears the plane took off from an airport near San Jose. Rosenberg said deputies responded to the crash shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday, to secure the scene. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have also responded to the scene to conduct an investigation into the crash.

According to deputies, the plane crashed in an open field near Interstate 5 and there were no reports of injuries to people on the ground.

The Merced County Sheriff Coroner’s Office is conducting an investigation into the death. Authorities have not released information about the pilot’s identity at this time. Rosenberg said that although these types of incidents are not very common in this area, it is “definitely a heartbreaking situation.”

Rosenberg said the sheriff’s office may release additional information in the coming days regarding the incident.

“These things take time, especially dealing with federal agencies coming in,” Rosenberg said.

Authorities said the NTSB is the agency leading the crash investigation.

This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 12:43 PM.