EL DORADO HILLS ” The name of the pilot who died in an El Dorado Hills plane crash west of Lake Tahoe, has been released.

Authorities report that Thomas Alexander, 61, died in Friday’s crash between two homes in El Dorado Hills. Investigators are removing the wreckage of the small plane today.

Josh Cawthra, an aviation accident investigator at the National Transportation Safety Board, says the wreckage will be taken to a secure location for more examination.

Cawthra says the Sportsman GS-2 plane is an amateur-built aircraft. Along with examining the plane and its history, investigators will look at the pilot’s flying record and medical condition.

It take up to a year before the cause of the crash is determined.

” Associated Press contributed to this report