Chewelah man dies in small plane crash in California

TRUCKEE, Calif. — Two victims of a small plane crash near Truckee have been identified as a California pilot and his passenger from Washington. Placer County Sheriff Edward Bonner today said 66-year-old Raymond Rotge of Santa Rosa, Calif., and 71-year-old Mack Johnston of Chewelah, Wash., were killed in the Thursday crash. The Van’s RV-8 homebuilt, single-engine plane went down about 500 yards from the main runway of the Truckee-Tahoe Airport north of Lake Tahoe. Authorities say the airport received a transmission from the plane’s pilot indicating they were making their final approach to land but never heard from them again. The cause of the crash is under investigation by federal authorities.