Light-Plane Crash Kills Santa Ana Man
A 71-year-old Santa Ana man was killed when his experimental plane crashed in San Bernardino County in an accident witnessed by his son, authorities said Sunday.
David Motley was the only person on board when the single-engine plane went down about 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the desert near Baker, roughly 12 miles east of Interstate 15, said Sgt. Frank Gonzalez of the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department.
Motley began the 100-mile flight at Chino Airport, Gonzalez said. The two-seater plane crashed five miles shy of a small airstrip in Baker in an open area near where he knew his son would be, Gonzalez said.
“My understanding is that he was en route to meet his family in the area, and apparently he knew the designated site where his son was,” Gonzalez said. “Not the airport, but an area near the airport.”
The crash was reported by Motley’s family. They could not be reached Sunday.
Gonzalez could not provide details about Motley’s experience as a pilot or details about his experimental plane.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department are investigating the cause of the crash.
Chino Airport was closed Sunday, and officials there could not be reached.
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