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5 Killed, 1 Injured In Long Beach Plane Crash

LONG BEACH (CBS) — Five people were killed Wednesday and another person was injured when a twin-engine plane crashed after departing from Long Beach Municipal Airport.

The Beechcraft King Air crashed in the northwest portion of the airport at 10:30 a.m., according to the Long Beach Fire Department.

Long_Beach_Crash
(Credit: CBS)

An FAA spokesperson said the plane caught fire after crashing. Authorities said the plane, which was owned by local businessman Thomas F. Dean, was headed to Salt Lake City. A spokesperson for Dean says that Dean, Jeff Berger, Mark Bixby, an unidentified pilot and another passenger are among those dead.

The spokesperson also said that passenger Mike Jensen is in critical condition at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

FAA officials are investigating the cause of the crash.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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