I.D. of Pilot in Crash Is Confirmed
The pilot killed in the crash of a home-built plane in Seal Beach was officially identified Thursday as Ross Kay Anderson of Rancho Palos Verdes.
The 62-year-old retired Navy fighter pilot was making his daily commute from Torrance to Chino on Wednesday morning when his Harmon Rocket II nose-dived between two homes.
The Orange County coroner’s office identified the body through a partial fingerprint match, said Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino.
The crash, in a neighborhood less than a mile east of Cal State Long Beach, seriously damaged one house, blowing out windows and engulfing one side in flames.
Sharon Loe was sitting in her family room, less than 10 feet from the crash. She said she saw a “ball of fire” coming after her. Loe and two neighbors were treated at local hospitals and released.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating. FAA spokesman Donn Walker said the agency might not determine a preliminary cause until the end of the year.
Plane wreckage has been taken to an Antelope Valley facility for examination.
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