BLYTHE – (INT) – High winds were sweeping across the eastern Riverside County desert when a Canyon Lake pilot diverted toward Blythe before his small plane crashed.

A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that John Stackhouse was alone on a flight from Tucson to Hemet November 25th when he encountered 35 mile an hour winds and clouds at nightfall.

His Beech V35 crashed 40 miles west of the Blythe airport just south of Interstate 10.

The NTSB is not expected to issue a finding of probable cause for several months.

Story Date: December 24, 2019