Pilot killed when small plane crashes into backyard in Sacramento County

A pilot was killed Thursday afternoon when his small plane crashed into the backyard of a home in Sacramento County, officials said.

Witnesses saw the single-engine, home-built Lancair IV-P flying at a low altitude before it struck a power pole, flew into trees and crashed near a chicken coop in a yard in Rio Linda, near the county’s McClellan Airfield, federal and local officials said. The property is in a rural area with equestrian lots and farmland.

When deputies responded shortly after 3 p.m., they found the pilot unresponsive and “immediately began life saving measures,” police said. Fire officials pronounced him dead at the scene.

The pilot was alone in the four-seat plane. The home near the crash was empty, and no one else was injured. The plane had “significant” damage, said Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Capt. Chris Vestal.

It’s not clear what led to the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek

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UPDATES:

9:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about the response to the crash.

This article was originally published at 6:15 p.m.