Small plane crashes in California desert killing 2 aboard

RIDGECREST, Calif. (AP) — Two people have been killed when their small plane crashed in the California desert. A spokesperson for the Kern County Fire Department says the crash, and a subsequent fire, was reported around 2:15 p.m. Friday in eastern Kern County. Both occupants of the two-seater aircraft were killed. The incident occurred south of the city of Ridgecrest and about 135 miles from Los Angeles. The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a single-engine Zenith STOL CH-701. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.