Crash Pilot Was ‘Cautious,’ Gifted Ex-Combat Flier

Pedro Duran’s plane was his baby. The former Marine combat pilot and two friends bought the Italian-made Siai-Marchetti a year ago, but it was Duran who flew the high-performance craft most often.

At least twice a week he took off from Santa Monica Airport, often to perform aerobatic stunts over the Malibu Hills or to practice landings at Oxnard Airport. He spent many Saturdays at the hangar, waxing the brown and green body of the single-engine plane or performing ritual acts of maintenance. He was known as an extremely cautious pilot.

“He was a fanatic with that plane,” said Michael L. Withem, one of the plane’s other owners. “I think he had more dates with that plane than his girlfriend.”

Despite Duran’s care, caution and experience, the 42-year-old medical consultant known by friends as P.J. was killed Wednesday when the Marchetti crashed in a Calabasas field. A 24-year-old flying enthusiast whom acquaintances identified as Cameron Duke was also killed.

The plane crashed at 4 p.m. in a field off Lost Hills Road near Malibu Creek State Park. The accident is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, but no cause is known yet, officials said.

Investigators on Thursday were still piecing together what caused the accident. And friends of the pilot tried to understand how a skillful pilot like Duran could “auger in.”

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office did not release the names of the victims. But Withem and Stephen A. Shoop, the third owner of the plane, went to the crash site Wednesday and identified the victims as Duran and Duke, both of West Los Angeles.

Withem and Shoop, also former military pilots, described Duran as a gifted pilot who had more than 5,000 hours of flying experience. He had survived being shot down twice in Vietnam and had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

“He was so incredibly cautious . . . He is just the last guy I ever expected this to happen to,” Shoop said.

“We probably will never know what happened,” Withem said. “This was a guy who flew F-4 Phantoms in Vietnam, was a very highly decorated Marine pilot.”

Shoop and Withem disputed statements by witnesses who said the pilot leaped from the plane as it began to plummet after developing engine problems during an aerobatic maneuver.

Shoop, who was at the crash site before the victims were removed, said Duran’s body was found burned in the wreckage. Duke’s body was about 20 feet from the crash site. Both victims were wearing parachutes that had not been opened.

Shoop said a torn seat belt was still around Duran’s body, suggesting that he was still in the pilot’s seat at impact. Shoop said that if someone tried to jump from the plane, which had a side-by-side seat configuration, it probably was Duke.

“P.J. would never have abandoned a passenger,” Shoop said. “He may have ordered his passenger to attempt to jump, but he would have never abandoned him.”

An NTSB spokesman said investigators had not determined if anyone had jumped from the craft.

Shoop and Withem said the $181,000 Marchetti was designed 10 years ago to be used as a military fighter plane but was instead sold to private pilots. Though not outfitted with weapons, the plane had instrumentation that included switches for engaging guns and dropping bombs from wing racks. The body paint was still the original military green and brown camouflage.

Duran had met Duke at the Santa Monica Airport, where it was believed the younger man was taking flying lessons, Withem said. He often flew with Duran when Withem and Shoop were unavailable.

“If there was an empty seat, P.J. would take someone,” Withem said. “On this day there was an empty seat, and Cameron took it.”