Sylmar, Los Angeles, CA: A single-engine plane crashed close to the 210 Freeway in the Sylmar neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley early Wednesday afternoon, Apr. 20, killing the sole occupant and prompting response from the Los Angeles City Fire Department, Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol.

According to Deputy Chief Trevor Richmond with LAFD Operations Valley Bureau at a press conference Wednesday afternoon, LAFD was dispatched to a reported plane down at approximately 12:30 to 12:40 p.m. Upon arrival, a small single-engine private airplane was discovered crashed on the Westbound 210 Freeway embankment just west of Hubbard Street. The direction of where the plane came in from is unknown at this time.

Richmond said unfortunately one person was discovered deceased inside the wreckage. A thorough search of the area concluded there were no other occupants located at the site of the crash. There was a small fuel leak the fire department contained that did not involve fire. The crash is considered significant and is currently under investigation by the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).

Captain James Townsend from LAPD Mission Division confirmed at the press conference that there was one lone occupant that was deceased. Townsend expressed the need to keep the area clear, especially to pedestrian traffic.

Only the #4 lane was blocked on the 210 Freeway due to the incident.

The deceased pilot has not been identified at this time. There are no further details until the investigation is completed.