The State - News from Jan. 18, 1987

Three men were killed and two women severely injured in two separate plane crashes and a third plane, carrying a San Marino man and his son, was reported missing. In the first incident, pilot Kevin Hamilton was killed when his single-engine Cessna 208, en route from Ontario Airport to Las Vegas, crashed into a mountain 45 miles from his destination, the Civil Air Patrol said. In the second incident, a single-engine plane apparently encountered engine trouble after taking off from Oceano airport near San Luis Obispo and crashed when its pilot attempted to land in a nearby field, killing two men and injuring two women aboard, authorities said. Their names were not released. Meanwhile, an aerial search was launched for a private plane reported missing while on a short flight from El Monte Airport Friday night. As many as 35 planes searched a 200-square-mile area for the plane, which carried pilot Robert Burford, 56, and his son, Thomas Banks, 30. The search will resume this morning.