Wreckage of Plane Spotted Near Gorman; 4 Aboard Dead

Four people were killed when a light plane crashed in bad weather on a rugged mountainside just southwest of Gorman, authorities said Monday.

The identities of the pilot and three passengers were not released pending notification of relatives, said Tom Aina of the Federal Aviation Administration.

The single-engine Cessna 172 left Burbank Airport about noon Sunday en route to Reid Hillview Airport, a small facility in San Jose, Aina said, and apparently crashed about an hour later.

The cause of the crash was unknown, Aina said. At the time the plane went down, satellite pictures show “inclement weather through that whole area,” said Bill Hoffer of the National Weather Service in Los Angeles.

“I would anticipate it was socked in with inclement weather--fog, rain, and possible intermittent snow showers,” Hoffer said.

The plane’s wreckage was sighted Monday about 4 p.m. by another airplane flying on a regular route, Aina said. The pilot reported a partial identification number matching that of the Cessna 172, which had been listed as missing by the FAA after a relative of one of those aboard reported that the plane had not arrived in San Jose, Aina said.

The crew of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s helicopter on another call also spotted the wreckage and reported it about the same time, Lt. Barbara Persten said.

The helicopter planned to help with the recovery Monday night, but the mission was called off when dense low clouds made the search impossible, Deputy Robert Norlemann said. A deputy was posted near the crash site to ensure that no one disturbed the scene overnight, Norlemann said.

Search crews were expected to hike to the area to retrieve the bodies at daybreak today, Norlemann said.