2 Killed as Plane Crashes Near Homes

Two people were killed Sunday night when their twin-engine Cessna sliced through power lines and burst into flames in a field 50 feet from a housing development, authorities said.

Charles C. Gray was identified by authorities as one of the dead.

Shortly before the crash, the pilot turned the plane away from the houses, authorities said.

Sheriff’s deputies were attempting to notify next of kin of the second victim.

There were no other injuries in the 6:30 p.m. accident, according to Los Angeles county firefighters, but debris from the plane was scattered over three acres near Featherstar Avenue and Alaminos Drive.

Patrick Bendrat, 33, said he was helping a neighbor roof his house when he saw the plane spiraling out of the sky half a mile away.

“The engine was revving--it was in a dive,” he said. “I thought he would pull out of it, but then the tail section came apart. He hit the power line and then it exploded on the ground--a ball of fire.”

The plane came down in a 200-foot-wide field that had been cleared under a series of high-voltage transmission lines, according to county fire spokesman Ed Loney. Department of Water and Power officials reported no power outages resulting from the crash. Firefighters extinguished the flaming wreckage.

Neighbors said they were lucky that the plane missed the many homes in the area, but Loney said it was more than luck that prevented additional injuries.

“The guy made a last-minute turn to avoid hurting anyone,” he said.

The pilot had filed an FAA flight plan for a trip from Palmdale Airport to Van Nuys Airport, according to FAA spokesman William Shumann, who said the pilot was “instrument rated,” certifying his ability to use navigation equipment to fly in poor visibility conditions.

Shumann said investigators had yet to determine if weather played any role in the crash.

Bendrat said metal debris had landed in a nearby neighbor’s backyard. He said the plane was almost vertical when it crashed into the ground. “I’d say about 75 degrees.”

Bendrat said the plane came apart, with the tail dropping off, 100 feet before it hit the power lines.

Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation Sunday.

The investigation was initially delayed as emergency workers, including hazardous materials response workers, waited for DWP crews to check the downed wires.

Police cordoned off the area, restricting access to the neighborhood, near the intersection of Bouquet Canyon Road and Haskell Canyon Road.

There was initial confusion on the number of victims. Officials first tentatively reported three dead, but later confirmed just two deaths.

The six-passenger plane, with a tail-number of N711CG, was registered to Charles C. Gray. The address listed in FAA files was Temple Bar, Ariz.