TRUCKEE, Calif. — Authorities in Nevada County now say six people were on board the private jet that crashed while attempting to land at the Truckee-Tahoe Airport on July 26. There were no survivors.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the increased death toll on Wednesday. When asked for comment on the increase in death toll, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the Nevada County Coroner's Office would be the sole party responsible for that part of the investigation.
Officials identified the aircraft as a Twin Turbo Jet Challenger 605. Investigators say the jet was making its final approach to land at Truckee-Tahoe Airport when it went down in the forest near the airport, along Reynolds Way.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not yet identified the origin of the fatal flight, but authorities have said it may have flown from Idaho or Florida.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, and airport officials said conditions at the time of the incident were not impacting flights in or out. However, aviation expert Steven Thompson told ABC10 that flying conditions in Truckee can be treacherous.
“The particular angle they were at suggest that they may have lost visual. A visual of the runway because it’s in my understanding that at some point they had confirmed to the tower that they actually did have a visual on the runway,” he said.
Because of the heavy damage sustained in the crash, all the victims will have to be identified using DNA, according to the Nevada County Coroner’s Office.
“We have not released any names yet. Due to the extent of the crash and the resulting fire, we will have to use DNA evidence to confirm the identities. This typically takes a few months. We will send out a release once the information is available,” the coroner’s office told ABC10.
