Pilot killed when small plane crashes on Rosemead border

The pilot of a small plane was killed in a fiery crash Saturday after attempting an emergency landing on some railroad tracks and a parking lot on the northern border of Rosemead, authorities said.
The crash occurred just before 4:20 p.m. at Walnut Grove Avenue, just north of Grand Avenue.
Officials believe the pilot of the single-engine 1977 Beechcraft Bonanza was trying to make an emergency landing at a super market parking lot when he crashed.
The pilot -- whose identity was not released Saturday night -- was killed, Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Fred Stowers said. Due to the condition of the body, officials could not immediately tell whether the victim was male or female.
The plane is registered to David E. Flotho of Grants Pass, Ore., according to a federal registry.
"We don't know what happened," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Walker. "We don't know if it lost power. The plane was fully engulfed when we got here."
The plane had departed from Brackett Field in La Verne -- about 25 miles east of the crash site -- and was headed to Van Nuys, said Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Walker said at one point the pilot "was in contact with the El Monte (Airport) tower."
But Sal Sandoval, of airport operations at El Monte Airport, said he was not aware of any communication between the airport and the plane.
Stowers added that officials could could not find evidence late Saturday that the plane had made a distress call to any local airports.
No other injuries were reported, Stowers said. Several street signs and some fencing were damaged, and a business near the crash scene sustained minor damage from fire and flying debris.
Through a Spanish interpreter, Letty Rojo said she was working at the El Pavo Bakeries next to the crash scene when she heard a loud bang.
She said she ran to the window to see what was happening just in time to see the tail section of the airplane go skidding down the street past the bakery.
"A few seconds later, it ran into the wall and exploded," she said.
Rojo added she felt fortunate the plane did not crash into the bakery.
John Guzman, 35, of El Monte said he was driving near Mission Road and San Gabriel Boulevard when he first noticed the troubled plane.
" I actually saw it sputtering, coming down," he said. "The next thing I knew, I saw a big ball of flames."
Guzman said he watched as officials draped a blanket or sheet over the body of the pilot.
Crowds of local residents gathered near the site of the crash Saturday night where firefighters doused the wreckage and a nearby building with fire retardant.
Witnesses reported seeing smoke coming from the plane before it crashed and burst into flames.
Walker said deputies had someone pulled over in the area right before the crash occurred saw the plane flying low over their heads just before the crash.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Curtis Hummel said is appeared the pilot did a good job of avoiding buildings and cars.
"(The pilot) basically put a thread through the end of a needle," he said, adding that the pilot narrowly missed traffic and a building. "(The pilot) put it down in a pretty narrow spot."
Officials from the FAA and and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the cause of the crash.
Traffic was blocked for both directions of Walnut Grove Avenue and the train tracks were closed down during the investigation.