Three dead after plane crashes in Angwin vineyard in Napa County

Three people died after a small plane crashed in a vineyard in Angwin on Friday morning, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza crashed while performing a missed approach procedure at Angwin Airport-Parrett Field.

“A missed approach occurs when a pilot aborts their landing for whatever reason. In this instance, the pilot clipped trees while trying to gain altitude following an aborted landing,” FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.

It crashed around 8:40 a.m. south of the airport and caught fire, according to the FAA. The crash site was in a nearby vineyard on Las Posadas Road, Cal Fire said.

Three people were aboard the plane, according to a Facebook post from the Napa County Sheriff’s Office. The pilot and two passengers died at the scene.

Authorities are trying to identify the people and their names will be withheld until family members are notified.

The Sheriff’s Office, FAA and National Transportation Safety Board have taken over responding to the crash, Cal Fire said.

The exact cause of the missed approach is under investigation. But they can occur for various reasons, like a pilot coming in too steep or fast, strong tailwinds or crosswinds, or “even making a hard landing and taking off again to avoid losing control on the ground,” Gregor added.

The plane’s tail number will be released once it’s verified at the scene, according to the FAA.

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian. You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi.