A plane crashed Monday about one-half mile from the Minden airport, killing the pilot.

Douglas County sheriff’s Capt. Dan Coverley said the twin engine Piper PA-34 Seneca took off from Bakersfield and was headed for Minden, where the pilot’s son lives.

“We have two pretty good witnesses who say something happened in the air. They saw an explosion and then he crashed,” Coverley told Lake Tahoe News.

The plane landed in a hayfield owned by the Washoe tribe, in the Hobo Hot Springs area.

The crash occurred about 11:30am Feb. 19.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report