2 Victims of Midair Plane Crash Identified

Two of the three people killed in the midair collision of two small planes near Banning Municipal Airport on Thursday were employees of a Burbank aerial photography business, the company said Friday.

Jeff Curtis, director of marketing and sales for I.K. Curtis Services, identified the occupants of one plane, a Cessna 207, as pilot David Grimm, who was married and had four young children, and Brad Newton. Both men were from Burbank.

The pilot of the second aircraft, who also died in the crash, was identified only as a Japanese national who was flying out of Brackett Field in La Verne, said Riverside County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Deputy Mark Lohman.

Witnesses said the two planes appeared to clip wings before plunging into fields on the Morongo Indian Reservation and causing a grass fire. No one on the ground was injured.

Lohman said a Piper Cherokee, piloted by the unidentified Japanese national, was approaching the airport and headed into the afternoon sun when it collided with the Cessna, carrying Grimm and Newton, which was banking.

Curtis said the two-man crew was taking photographs in the area, but said other details of the crash would have to come from investigators, who returned to the area Friday to continue their inquiry.

The crash is being investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Curtis said the company has established the Grimm Family Assistance Fund to help the pilot’s family. Donations are being accepted at the company, 2919 Empire Ave., Burbank, Calif. 91504.