Four family members, including a 9-year-old girl, died when their small airplane crashed in Agua Dulce, Calif., on Sunday, officials said.
The accident was reported at 30511 Briggs Rd. at 10:54 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Four people were dead on arrival; all four victims were aboard the plane when it went down.
Authorities say the five-seater plane was flying back to the Van Nuys airport from Henderson, Nev.
The victims were identified as Tom Hastings, 65; his daughter Amber Hill, 27; her husband Jacob Hill, 25; and Amber's daughter Madison Hastings-Saxelby, 9. Amber's brother, Jake Hastings, identified the family members he lost.
"I just know they're in a better place and there's nothing we can do to change it," Jake Hastings told NBC4.
Jake Hastings said his father built the Cirrus VK-30 from a kit he received. Of the 50 that were produced, only 9 were built, including his.
He started building his plane in 1990 upon Amber's birth, but it would be nine years before the plane would finally take off, in a family flight to Las Vegas.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
