Pilot killed in Calif. plane crash

NAPA, Calif., Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A small plane crashed into a vineyard north of San Francisco after takeoff from the Napa County Airport early Wednesday, killing the pilot, officials said.

Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot took off for Bakersfield, Calif., shortly before 4:30 a.m.

The plane was about a mile from the Napa airport when it crashed.

The 10-year-old single-engine Cessna 182 was registered to Sierra Madre Flying Corp. in Hillsborough south of San Francisco. Officials had not released the identity of the pilot Tuesday afternoon.

The crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.