Plane crash in Riverside County leaves 1 dead, 3 injured

One person was killed and three others were injured Tuesday after a plane crashed in Riverside County, authorities said. 

The crash occurred around 2:45 p.m. in the 37000 block of Industry Way in French Valley.

The single-engine aircraft involved in the crash was a Cessna 172, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane had four individuals on board when it crashed shortly after taking off from the nearby French Valley Airport. 

Televised news footage captured the aftermath of the tragic incident, showing the small Cessna upside down in a parking lot near a business. The scene was chaotic, with emergency personnel rushing to help the victims. The Riverside County Fire Department swiftly responded to the crash and provided updates via social media.

At the crash site, one person was pronounced dead, while the other three occupants of the plane were rushed to nearby hospitals for medical attention. 

Authorities identified the deceased occupant Wednesday as Temecula resident Jared Alan Newman, who was also identified as the pilot of the downed aircraft.

County fire and sheriff’s deputies went to the location and discovered Newman dead and the boys seriously hurt.

FAA records indicate that Newman obtained his student pilot certificate in September 2020. Federal regulations prohibit a student airman from operating as lone pilot in command of any aircraft carrying passengers. Student pilots can fly with passengers if there is an instructor on board, or a licensed pilot who is at the controls.

Three boys injured in a single-engine plane crash at French Valley Airport that killed their dad remained hospitalized Thursday in stable condition, all of them expected to recover.

The youths, publicly identified by family as Caleb, Connor and Elijah Newman, were seriously hurt when the Cessna 172 that their father, 39-year-old Jared Alan Newman of Temecula, was piloting went down shortly after departing the airfield just before 2 p.m. Tuesday.

“We are surrounded by family and have been attended by angels, including our own Jared,” Megan Newman, his wife, wrote in a message posted to a GoFundMe account started on the family’s behalf. “He is near. In my grief and my heartache, I also have three beautiful miracles to kiss today. He made sure he protected over them and brought them safely to me.”

The account, which as of Thursday afternoon had generated $40,173 in donations, is here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/newman-boys-rec?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unknown&utm_campaign=comms_jwbr+newman-boys-rec

Newman said that all of her sons are undergoing treatment at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.

She said that Caleb suffered a broken clavicle and some lung bruising, as well as lacerations, while Connor suffered a broken thigh that required surgery to place a rod in the femur for stability.

“Elijah sustained more serious injuries,” Newman said. “He has a broken jaw that he had surgery on last night. He has more significant pulmonary contusions than Caleb and a lacerated liver. He is stable, and everything looks good; we are just giving his body time to heal.”

One of the couple’s sons was not aboard the airplane.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and is slated to publish its preliminary findings in the next 10 days.

Updated July 7, 2023, 9:33 a.m.

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