Tulare County Sheriff deputy and pilot killed in plane crash

TULARE COUNTY -- According to the Tulare County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Scott Ballantyne, 52, and Sheriff's pilot James Julio Chavez, 45, were killed in plane crash in Tulare County.

The FAA said the plane was a single-engine Flight Design. It went down under unknown circumstances around 4:15 p.m. and burst into flames after hitting a mountain near Highway 190 and Pleasant Oak.