Two people killed in Watsonville plane crash identified as Merced County residents

Two of the three people killed when two planes collided in midair over a Watsonville airport have been identified as Merced County residents, according to authorities.

According to a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office news release, 75-year-old Carl Kruppa and 67-year-old Nannette Plett-Kruppa, both of Winton, along with 32-year-old Stuart Camenson of Santa Cruz, were killed in the collision.

Santa Cruz County Sheriff deputies responded to the Watsonville Airport for the collision involving a twin-engine Cessna 340 and a single-engine Cessna 152 at about 2:50 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18.

First responders arrived on scene and found all three individuals deceased, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Cessna 340 was registered to ALM Holding LLC., a company based in Winton, according to Associated Press.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the two planes collided as they were preparing to land at the Watsonville Municipal Airport. One person was reportedly in the single-engine plane and two people were in the twin-engine plane, according to federal officials.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are the agencies investigating the cause of the crash.