By: Harry Harris, Marc Vartabedian and Thomas Peele, Bay Area News Group and the Eureka Times Standard

Four people were killed early Friday when a medical transport plane bound for Oakland crashed in sparsely-populated forestland in Humboldt County, authorities said. Three women and one man died when then the plane went down on the property of a private timber company near McKinleyville shortly after taking off from Crescent City in Del Norte County. The names of the dead have not been released, but in addition to the pilot, a patient, a nurse and a medic were on board. It remained unclear Saturday if the patient was bound for a Bay Area hospital. The remains of the twin-engine Piper PA31 Cheyenne were found Friday at about 10 a.m.. It left a debris field over about a quarter mile of land, Humboldt sheriff’s officials said. The plane had lost contact with air traffic controllers early Friday after the pilot radioed there was smoke in the cockpit, officials said. The aircraft was associated with REACH Air Medical Services and Cal-Ore Life Flight, officials said. It took off about 12:29 a.m. Friday from Crescent City Airport, Jack McNamara Field bound for Oakland. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, at about 1 a.m. the pilot declared an emergency because of smoke in the cockpit and indicated he was going to return to Crescent City. But radar contact with the plane was lost about five miles northeast of Arcata Airport, the FAA said. Don Wharton, REACH Director of Business Relations, said Friday he could not provide the identities of those on board or other details. Advertisement “It’s heartbreaking, it’s very difficult,” Wharton said. Steve Morris Logging water truck driver Dennis Huffman, who was at the scene Friday afternoon, said he was called out that morning because the crash caused a “small smoldering fire.” Huffman said the main crash site was up hill from where wreckage had tumbled down and spilled onto the dirt road; he believed the crash was discovered by a mechanic driving along the road. On Friday afternoon, the road where some of the wreckage landed was taped off. The National Transportation Safety Board is set to arrive at the site Saturday morning. Eureka Times-Standard reporter Marc Vartabedian contributed to this story.