Huntington Beach : Two Air Crash Victims Remain Hospitalized
Two of four passengers injured in a weekend plane crash near Meadowlark Airport remained hospitalized Tuesday, one in critical condition.
Meanwhile the coroner’s office determined Tuesday that the pilot, Glenn A. Hata, 33, of Inglewood, was crushed in the wreckage and died of acute hemorrhage from a ruptured heart in the Sunday night crash.
William Ricksecker, 41, of San Diego, was listed in critical condition Tuesday at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital. A second passenger--identified as Randall Vancil, 22, whose address was not known--was reported in fair condition at Memorial Medical Center of Long Beach.
A third passenger, James Polentz of Huntington Beach, was discharged from the Long Beach hospital early Monday afternoon. Polentz, 43, suffered three fractured ribs in the crash.
The fourth passenger, Glen Vanpeske, 28, of Oceanside, was treated for minor injuries and released from the Fountain Valley hospital on Sunday.
The crash occurred when Hata’s Cessna 210 Turbo Centurion ran out of gas and he attempted an emergency landing at Meadowlark. The aircraft, which was en route from Monterey to John Wayne Airport, plunged through eucalyptus trees and crashed in a vacant lot near Heil Avenue and Graham Place.
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