Overview

• Authorities say the single-occupant aircraft went down Tuesday evening in an open area off I-5 between Highways 165 and 152 near Los Banos.
• Deputies arrived just after 7:40 p.m. and pronounced the lone pilot dead at the scene.
• Sheriff Vern Warnke reported the plane circled the area for about an hour before a nose-dive into the ground.
• Investigators confirmed another pilot was following the downed aircraft, with the reason still unclear.
• The victim’s identity and the cause of the crash have not been released as the multi-agency investigation continues.