5 bodies found in plane wreckage in California orchard

Sheriff’s officials found aircraft debris scattered across a quarter mile in a central California orchard, near Panama Lane and South Allen Road, hours after the pilot sent a mayday call and the plane disappeared from radar, authorities said. Efforts are underway to identify the victims and notify their next of kin.

A single-engine plane from Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose went missing Saturday afternoon near Bakersfield.

The single-engine Piper PA32 lost contact with air traffic controllers at approximately 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Searchers have not found any survivor, he said. The plane was flying out of San Jose area, according to Kern County sheriffs Sgt. Mark King. It took about three hours to locate the debris from the plane, according to a news release.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether weather was a contributing factor, but light rain and mist were observed nearby at the time of the crash, said Cindy Bean of the National Weather Service in Hanford, Calif. The National Transportation Safety Board is officially in charge of the investigation and with them at the helm answers to the reason behind the crash will be slow in coming. It typically takes the agency months if not longer to determine a probable cause for an accident.