Palo Alto Man Dies in Tahoe Plane Crash

A Palo Alto family grieves after a tragic plane crash in South Lake Tahoe Monday.

Steven A. Lefton died when his single-engine Mooney M20C aircraft lost altitude around 11:10 a.m. shortly after take off and banked sharply into a wooded area east of the South Lake Tahoe airport, according to El Dorado Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Pete Van Arnum.

Lefton, 67, who resided on the 4200 block of Manuela Avenue in the Esther Clark Park neighborhood of Palo Alto, died on impact. His wife, Karen Lefton sustained moderate injuries and became pinned in the wreckage of the plane.

An off duty CalStar flight nurse Beth Frisby walked her dog in the area, responded first to the scene and provided medical aid and comfort to Karen until the arrival of sheriff’s deputies, medics and firefighters from Lake Valley Fire Department, Van Arnum stated.

The plane continued to leak fuel and as fire department personnel sprayed fire retardant foam, emergency crews extracted Karen from the wreckage. She was flown by CalStar to Renown Hospital in Reno.

According to Federal Administration Aviation (FAA) records, Lefton's most recent private pilot's certificate was issue in 2009 and he was required to wear corrective lenses for distant vision and glasses for near vision. His aircraft, manufactured in 1963, could seat four passengers.

The National Weather Service showed that at the time of the crash there were no wind gusts over South Lake Tahoe.

Van Arnum told the Tahoe News that even though it was a powerful plane, the heat could cause problems with the density altitude.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have sent investigators to determine the cause of the crash.