One person is dead after a small plane crashed Tuesday evening in a rural area west of Interstate 5 and southwest of Merced in Central California, officials said.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened in an open area just off the freeway between Highways 165 and 152 in the Los Banos area.

The Merced County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the plane took off from an airport in the San Jose area. Preliminary reports indicate there was one person aboard the aircraft, who was pronounced deceased at the scene.

No information has been released yet regarding the identity of the victim or the cause of the crash.

The sheriff's office said it is working with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration on the investigation.

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