Firefighters were called to an aircraft down in a vacant lot at around 2:02 p.m. local time (22:02 GMT), according to the Big Bear Fire Department.
Crews arrived on the scene in about three minutes, said the department in a Facebook post.
“Upon arrival, crews observed considerable damage to a single engine private plane, with no visible smoke or flames, “said the department. “There were three souls on board, all of which perished as a result of this accident.”
A photo released by the department showed the wreckage of the plane sitting in an open space behind the railings near a road.
It has been the second small plane crash in three days in southern California. A pilot was killed after a small plane crashed Saturday night in a mountainous area in Los Angeles.