A 24 year-old former Melrose man died Sunday morning in a plane crash in California. David Gary Ostendorf, a 2010 St. Cloud State University aviation graduate was flying along with 32-year-old pilot George Alfred Mellone III, of Yuma, Arizona in an EA-300 stunt plane.

Authorities say the plane crashed at approximately 6:57 a.m. in a field just outside of the Salinas Municipal Airport. Officials say Ostendorf and Mellone died from blunt force trauma. The crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.