The pilot of an airplane that crashed at Benton Airpark Wednesday, has been identified. The Shasta County Coroners Office says the deceased man was 71-year-old Richard Joseph Engel of Shingletown. The single engine red and white Cessna 150 apparently had a problem while departing to the north at about 11:20AM. Witnesses say the engine sputtered and the plane stalled and spiraled down, shearing off treetops before crashing head-on into an Oak Tree in a ravine in the backyard of a home just northwest of the runway on the north side of Placer. Engel and his dog were both pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy has been scheduled. The National Transportation Safety Board is looking for anyone who may have witnessed the crash. Call the NTSB at 844-373-9922.