AVIATION ACCIDENT: Plane crash in Santa Catalina sparks brush fire, injures three
October 4, 2010
Avalon – Three people on board a small airplane suffered burn injuries when it crashed on Santa Catalina Island Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
The twin-engine 1956 Cessna 310 experienced engine failure and crashed shortly after it took off from the Catalina Airport at around 3:30 pm, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.
The 54-year-old pilot lost control while descending through fog and crashed half a mile southeast of the island's airfield, Airport in the Sky. He told a sheriff's sergeant that he went on the island from Santa Ana earlier that day to pick up two passengers.
Los Angeles County firefighters took about an hour to extinguish a three-acre brush fire that resulted from the crash. The pilot and two passengers, a 50-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman, all suffered burns and were airlifted to Torrance Memorial Medical Center.
All three are now in stable condition and are expected to survive. However, their identities remain undisclosed.
FAA records reveal that the registered owner of the Cessna is Sabovich and Sons, Inc., a construction company in Arroyo Grande, near San Luis Obispo. The FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the LA County Sheriff’s Department will all conduct an investigation on the accident.
OFFICE ADDRESS
