1 found dead in Sherman Oaks missing airplane search

One person was found dead after a missing airplane was located near Sherman Oaks on Saturday night.

The incident was reported around 8:09 p.m. near the 3500 block of Beverly Glen Terrace, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

A small, single-engine plane, along with the deceased victim, was found on a steep hillside above a home at 3045 Beverly Glen Circle around 11:20 p.m. The victim’s identity has not been released.

“Though no other persons were believed aboard, a search of the immediate area will be conducted to confirm no other victims,” said LAFD.

Emergency crews were checking “a large swath of mountainous territory near Stone Canyon Road and Mulholland Drive” after reportedly losing radar contact with the aircraft.

The airplane was believed to be traveling between Santa Monica Airport and Van Nuys Airport.

LAFD helicopters and ground crews were searching the region amid heavy fog for about an hour when they “localized a signal from an aircraft Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon” within a quarter-mile of the Beverly Glen Terrace and Beverly Glen Boulevard area.

Rescue crews continued a grid search along terrain north of Mulholland Drive. A pair of helicopters were providing command support from above, but were suspended due to thick fog, authorities said. Over four dozen ground crews were dispatched to the area.

“Since the missing aircraft was first reported to LAFD by an Air Traffic Controller, LAFD Dispatchers have worked tirelessly with LAFD responders and aviation officials, including FAA Air Traffic Controllers at Van Nuys Airport, Burbank Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, as well as the United States Air Force and the pilot’s cellular telephone carrier, to best pinpoint the missing aircraft,” said LAFD in a statement.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. No further details were released.