UPDATE (9:03 a.m.): The Kern County Coroner's Office has identified the man killed in Thursday's plane crash as 75-year-old Gilbert Gutierrez of Phoenix.
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One person is dead after a plane crashed near Keene on Thursday afternoon, the Kern County Fire Department said.
"A single-engine Yak-18A crashed under unknown circumstances near Keene," Federal Aviation Administration Public Affairs Manager Ian Gregor said.
KCFD received the call about the possible crash at 2:08 p.m. and launched a helicopter to search for the plane; the aircraft was later found in a remote area. The Kern County Sheriff's Department is searching the area for any other potential casualties.
KCFD crews have a command post set up in the area of Highway 58 and Broome Road, and the FAA and NTSB are also investigating.
It wasn't immediately clear what may have led up to the crash.
