LIVERMORE, Calif., May 10 (UPI) -- A single-engine plane crashed in rugged terrain during stormy weather near Livermore, Calif., killing two people, authorities said.
The Piper PA-28 Cherokee went down Sunday near the Morgan Territory Regional Preserve en route to the San Carlos Airport, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday.
The National Transportation Safety Board tried to determine if conditions that included rain, hail and a low cloud cover were factors in the crash, said Lt. Eric Navarro of the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.
"We speculate that the plane hit a tree, disabling it or disabling it even further, and then hit 15 feet below the crest of the hill," Navarro said.
The impact broke the plane into several pieces, killing the woman pilot and a male passenger, who were not publicly identified.
The plane was registered to a man in Belmont, Calif., Navarro said.
