Westlake Village Man Piloted Crashed Plane

The pilot of a Boeing 747 cargo plane that crashed into a Malaysian hillside and killed its four-person crew was identified Sunday as Frank Halpin, 59, of Westlake Village.

The cargo plane was operated by the Los Angeles-based Flying Tigers Line and was preparing to land at Subang International Airport when it crashed into the jungle about seven miles from Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital.

The crash occurred at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, California time.

Company spokesman Chuck Thomson said Halpin had been a pilot for Flying Tigers since April, 1955. He said Halpin had flown Boeing 747s for 14 years, including eight years as captain.

“He has an excellent reputation as a pilot,” Thomson said. He added that Halpin was considered to be in excellent health.

The plane was en route from Singapore and was about half full of mail, clothing and computer hardware, Thomson said. Low clouds and mist prevailed in the area at the time of the crash.

The plane’s engine, cockpit and wings were found smoldering and strewn through the jungle at the crash site. Thomson said investigators had recovered the plane’s flight recorders “but we still have no clue as to what happened.”

The jet’s maintenance record offered no clues as to the cause of the crash. “The maintenance folks have gone over the log sheets and it’s a very clean airplane,” he said.

Thomson said Halpin was married, but he declined to release the name of Halpin’s spouse. He said she was secluded with members of her family.

Thomson said he did not know whether the couple had any children.

The other crew members were identified as: First Officer Jack Robinson of Tucson, Ariz., a veteran of 21 years with the company; Second Officer Ronald Penton of Burlingame, who had flown for 32 years, and maintenance engineer Leonard Sulewski of White House Station, N.J., who had been with the company for 24 years.

Flying Tigers operates three flights a week from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.