Five adults tragically died after a small-engine plane crashed on Los Angeles’ Catalina Island.
The Avalon Sheriff’s Station received a 911 SOS emergency notification from a cellular device around 8:08 p.m. Tuesday after a twin-engine Beechcraft 95 crashed shortly after takeoff from Catalina Airport in Avalon, according to the Federal Administration. of Aviation (FAA).
The cellular device used to call in emergency “indicated that the user’s cell phone was involved in a collision with possible injuries and provided a location as GPS coordinates,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
Deputies from the Avalon Station, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Avalon Search and Rescue personnel and the City of Avalon Fire Department responded to the scene and found the wreckage of the aircraft approximately one mile north. west of the Catalina Island airport.
Along with the debris, authorities also located the five victims who lost their lives in the accident. Their identities have not yet been revealed.
The Avalon Sheriff’s Station received a 911 SOS emergency notification from a cellular device around 8:08 p.m. Tuesday after a twin-engine Beechcraft 95 crashed shortly after takeoff from Catalina Airport in Avalon.
Along with the debris, authorities also located the five victims who lost their lives in the accident. Their identities have not yet been revealed. (pictured: archive image of Catalina Island)
Flight logs revealed that the plane took off around 5:45 pm that day. According to the National Weather Service, there were no heavy fog advisories at the time. CBS News reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA have taken over the investigation of the accident.
NTSB spokesperson Jennifer Gabris told DailyMail.com: “An NTSB investigator is traveling to the scene and is expected to arrive later today.”
Once the investigator arrives, they will begin processing the scene and examining the crashed plane.
‘Part of the investigation will involve requesting radar data, weather information, maintenance records and pilot medical records. “NTSB investigators will consider humans, machines and the environment as broad lines of investigation,” Gabris added.
The agency said a preliminary report is expected to come out within 30 days of the incident, and that the probable cause of the crash will be released in one to two years.
The NTSB, FAA and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have urged the public to report any information about the crash, including contact information and medical history of those on board.
Last week, five people, including a child, died after a single-engine plane crashed in North Carolina.
Jason Campbell, 45, was among five people who died when the doomed plane, a Cirrus SR22, crashed Sept. 28 near the woods near Wright Brothers National Memorial First Flight Airport.
Flight logs revealed that the plane took off around 5:45 pm that day. According to the National Weather Service, there were no heavy fog advisories at the time. (pictured: Catalina Airport runway)
Campbell was a Lubbock native and served as an Army Special Forces commander.
The other three adults have been identified as Shashwat Ajit Adhikari, 31, Kate McAllister Neely, 39, and Matthew Arthur Fassnacht, 44. The child has not been identified.
The plane crashed approximately 90 miles south of Virginia Beach, Virginia, according to KLJB News radio.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
The day after the accident, the Wright Brothers National Memorial was closed.
