6 Killed in Crash of 2 Small Planes

A Sunday morning jaunt by a group of pilots from the San Fernando Valley turned tragic when two of their small planes flew into a mountain in southern Santa Barbara County, killing six.

Eight aircraft were flying in single-file formation at a low altitude when the two front planes flew into mountainous terrain five miles north of Monte Arido in Los Padres National Forest, according to Kathy Goode, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman.

Pilots and passengers in the six trailing planes watched in horror as the two Beechcraft Bonanzas crashed several hundred feet below the 6,000-foot ridgeline, one of the highest in the area.

“The lead and No. 2 went into a box canyon that they couldn’t get out of,” said Craig Schulze, a Burbank resident who was a passenger in one of the trailing planes.

Authorities could not immediately confirm the identities of the victims, believed to be five men and a woman. Schulze said some of the victims were part of a close-knit group of pilots based at Whiteman and Van Nuys airports.

About 150 firefighters battled a 75-acre wildfire that was sparked by the crashes, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Some of the firefighters descended with ropes to battle the flames in the steep terrain. The blaze was extinguished by late afternoon.

The informal group liked to make Sunday morning trips to the coast or other destinations, Schulze said. On Sunday, they were heading for Oceano County Airport near Pismo Beach, where they planned to have lunch before returning to Van Nuys Airport.

Schulze, who began flying with the group this year, said he and others had flown four planes from Whiteman Airport in Pacoima to join the other aircraft at Van Nuys Airport on Sunday.

The fleet of four-seater planes left Van Nuys about 10:30 a.m., Schulze said, and the route took them over rugged, mountainous terrain.

After the two lead planes crashed, the remaining aircraft broke formation and circled the area for 15 minutes. Upon seeing rescue helicopters arrive, they turned south, back toward the Valley, Schulze said.

As four of the planes returned to Whiteman about 1:30 p.m., somber friends met the fliers with hugs and silence.

There were sad discussions in various hangars at the airport as pilots, spouses and friends tried to understand how the accident happened.

Two of the returning pilots told friends they barely cleared the ridge where the two Bonanzas crashed, according to witnesses who asked not to be identified.

The Bonanzas, both built in the 1960s, were worth about $100,000 and could cruise at nearly 200 mph. That V-tail model is no longer manufactured but long enjoyed a reputation as the best of its class.

Typically, the group flew in single-file formation with the lead plane lowest and each other plane following at a safe distance, above and to the right of the plane ahead, according to sources familiar with the group.

That formation allows each pilot, sitting on the left side of the plane, the best view of the planes ahead.

In most cases, the FAA has no rules about how low planes can fly over unpopulated areas. However, every pilot is responsible for maintaining adequate terrain clearance.

Pilots who have taken special training for mountain flying noted that most small airplanes are unable to outclimb steeply rising terrain, and thus pilots must begin their climbs early to make sure they aren’t trapped at the heads of canyons.

“It’s a very difficult time for those who survived it as well, who lost their friends,” Schulze said.

But he said he would not allow his friends’ deaths to deter him from the pastime they loved.

“I still enjoy flying,” he said.

*

Staff writers Richard Winton, Margaret Talev and Timothy Hughes also contributed to this story.