Additional information revealed in fatal Catalina Island plane crash near Southern California coastline
A recent federal report has disclosed the events leading up to a tragic plane crash on a Southern California island that claimed the lives of all five individuals on board. The aircraft took off in darkness even though it did not have clearance to do so.
The twin-engine Beechcraft 95 crashed during an attempted takeoff shortly after 8 p.m. on Tuesday from Santa Catalina Island’s airport near Avalon, as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The airport prohibits flights after sunset due to a lack of nighttime operational equipment. Despite not receiving clearance, the pilot’s takeoff was not deemed illegal, according to the airport manager.
According to the preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday, the plane initially landed at Catalina Island airport at 6:20 p.m. to pick up a flight instructor and two student pilots who were stranded after their rented aircraft malfunctioned.
The airport manager instructed the pilot to depart by sundown at 6:31 p.m. As the pilot attempted to take off with the new passengers, the right engine of the plane failed to start due to low battery power, necessitating them to exit and connect the engine to a charger.
Upon learning that the departure time would be past sundown following the charging delay, the airport manager informed the pilot that takeoff approval would not be granted. However, the pilot insisted on departing regardless, according to the report.
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“The airport manager advised him that, while he could not stop him, his departure would be unapproved and at his own risk,” outlined in the report.
Airport surveillance footage indicates the aircraft took off under “dark night conditions,” making it impossible to ascertain if the plane was airborne before reaching the end of the runway, as detailed in the report.
The plane crashed with its landing gear extended into a ridgeline around 1 mile southwest from the runway’s end. The main wreckage ended up in a ravine about 450 feet west of the initial impact area.
The plane, registered to Ali Safai, 73, from Los Angeles according to the Federal Aviation Administration, was a former flight instructor and the founder of a now-defunct flight school from 2018.
The crash claimed the lives of Ali Safai, Gonzalo Lubel, Haris Ali, Joeun Park, and Margaret Mary Fenner, as reported by the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office.
The airstrip, known as the Airport in the Sky due to its precarious location at an elevation of 1,602 feet on an island roughly 25 miles off the Los Angeles coast, is notorious for its challenging landings and takeoffs and has been the site of past accidents.
The airport features a single 3,000-foot runway without runway lighting.
By Jaimie Ding
