Lightning Strike Hinted as Cause of Plane Crash Fatal to 3 by Julian
Investigators sifted through the shattered remains of a small plane Tuesday trying to determine whether a lightning strike caused the aircraft to slam into the side of a mountain.
Three San Diego men were killed in Sunday’s crash, which occurred as the plane was en route to San Diego from Palm Springs. The plane crashed into Volcan Mountain, a 3,000-foot peak near Julian.
A Sheriff’s Department helicopter saw the wreckage late Sunday, but snowfall and darkness prevented rescuers from reaching the scene until the next day, when the bodies of pilot John Halstan Maloney, 34, and passengers Richard Marlin Rex, 42, and Tony Aguilar III, 27, were recovered.
Federal investigators and Sheriff’s Department officials returned to the crash site Tuesday to continue their investigation, sheriff’s spokesman Bob Trevino said.
He said the Federal Aviation Administration reported that the single-engine Piper Comanche apparently exploded in the air. The plane’s wings and tail fell to the ground separately from the fuselage, which hit the mountain nose first.
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