The pilot of a small plane died in a crash near the Nevada County Airport in Grass Valley, authorities said Thursday.

A pilot was killed Tuesday morning when a small plane crashed in an industrial tract in Grass Valley, about a mile from Nevada County Airport. The Grass Valley Police Department said emergency crews responded shortly after the plane went down at 8:19 a.m. on the 1000 block of Whispering Pines Lane.

A pilot died Thursday morning after a small plane crashed in the Grass Valley area, officials said. A passenger's mobile device was lodged in a seat and caused "an electrical smell," prompting an emergency landing to remove it.