2 Survive Crash of Vintage Plane in Lot Near Hawthorne Air Show

A pilot who wanted to show spectators that his pre-World War II aircraft could still fly was cut and bruised Saturday when his two-passenger plane crashed into an empty parking lot a block from a Hawthorne air show, officials said.

Don Krattiger, 49, and his wife, Pat, 43, of Valencia were taken to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center’s trauma unit for treatment but neither was believed to be seriously hurt, said Battalion Chief Bruce Bradford of the Hawthorne Fire Department.

The single-engine Ryan PT-22 apparently experienced engine oil problems as it approached the Hawthorne Municipal Airport, said Leo Gay, the air show’s coordinator.

Had the plane not veered off to the north of the runway when it was coming down, it very likely would have crashed into parking lots crowded with cars belonging to air show visitors on busy 120th Street or on Crenshaw Boulevard.

Instead, witnesses said, the pilot appeared to turn the aircraft north just before crashing. The plane hit an empty parking lot, tore a small bus stop shelter from its pilings and came to rest against a chain link fence, its yellow wings crumpled and its silver and yellow nose gear heavily damaged.

“He made a very good decision,” Gay said. “It was not a crash. It was a forced landing.”

Witnesses said the Krattigers pulled themselves from the wreckage before help arrived. “They were very lucky,” Bradford said.

No aerial acrobatics are performed at the annual Hawthorne Air Faire, but vintage and modern planes fly in and out. They are on exhibit while on the ground. Gay estimated that 7,000 people attended the show Saturday. It resumes today.

Hawthorne Police Sgt. Henry Mashack said the pilot apparently wanted to show spectators that the plane could still fly and had circled the air field before the accident occurred.

“Spectators said the prop (propeller) had stopped before the plane came down,” said Robert Trimborn, Hawthorne airport manager.

The air show was not interrupted by the incident.