La Habra : Local Couple Identified as Plane Crash Victims

Two people killed in a plane crash in a rugged area of San Bernardino County over the weekend were identified Wednesday as Leonard and Lois Sherman of La Habra, authorities said.

Sherman, 67, and his wife Lois, 50, were discovered in the wreckage of their red and white Beechcraft Bonanza about two miles north of Rancho Cucamonga by the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department’s aviation division, Sgt. Jim Singley said.

“He flew it right into the side of the hill. He cut about a 50-foot path through the sagebrush,” said Singley, who manned the helicopter that found the wreckage Tuesday. Authorities do not know the cause of the crash, he said.

The Shermans left Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Saturday with no flight plan, Singley said. They were en route to Cable Airport in Upland but were not reported overdue until Monday morning when the couple’s relatives notified authorities that they had not arrived.

Sheriff’s deputies searching the area said the plane had last been in contact with air traffic controllers at Ontario International Airport, Singley said.