NTSB Probes Fatal Plane Collision In SoCal

5 Killed After Small Planes Collide; Witness: "There Were Bodies Falling Out Of The Sky"

(AP)  Authorities were trying to learn why two small planes collided over a row of businesses, dropping a macabre shower of debris and body parts and killing someone inside an auto dealership when one of the aircraft punctured the roof.

All four people aboard the two aircraft also were killed in Sunday's crash, on a clear crisp afternoon that seemed ideal for flying.

No one else was hurt, though wreckage fell on three car dealerships, all of which remained closed to customers Monday as investigators combed through the debris in Corona, about 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

People in the area after the collision along the 91 Freeway described a horrific sight. Marisela Garay was working a few hundred yards (meters) away at Lucky Greek Burgers when she saw the planes come down.

She and some customers ran outside, where they saw blood and what looked like body parts on the ground.

"There was a lot of stuff everywhere. I was shocked, I couldn't believe what happened," said Garay, 17.

"There were bodies falling out of the sky," witness Hector Hernandez told KCBS-TV. "One of them crashed into the top of a Ford Mustang, and another one fell not too far behind that one on the parking lot."

In one of the car lots, the twisted hull of a plane rested against two vehicles.

Witnesses told authorities that one of the planes slammed into the other. One of the aircraft shattered on impact, while the other spiraled to the ground, left mostly intact.

William Pollack, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator, told reporters Monday that the planes did collide in mid air.

He said the wreckage will be taken to Palmdale, California. where investigators will examine the planes to try and determine what happened.

Pollack said witnesses gave differing accounts on the location of the planes before impact.

Eyewitnesses also told authorities they heard nothing wrong with the engine, Pollack said.

Authorities have not released the planes' origins or destinations. The crash occurred about a mile south of the Corona Municipal Airport, which does not have a manned control tower.

The crash is the sixth in the area over the past 10 years.

Without the aid of air traffic controllers, pilots are supposed to use visual flight rules when there are clear conditions. Pilots are responsible for their own safety, making sure they steer clear from aircraft and other potential hazards.

Pilots can communicate by radio with one another, but not all do, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

Investigators will likely try to determine if there were any other pilots in the area who saw the crash or heard any transmission between the two planes, he said.

Two people were killed from each plane, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Wayne Pollack said.

The Riverside County Coroner's Office identified the dead as Scott Gayle Lawrence, 55, of Cerritos; Paul Luther Carlson, 73, also of Cerritos; Brandon William Johnson, 24, of Costa Mesa; Anthony Joel Guzman, 20, of Hesperia; and Earl Smiddy, 58, of Moreno Valley.

Smiddy was crushed in the car dealership.

Guzman's family told KABC-TV that the young man was a student pilot aspiring to become a commercial pilot.

"He was really going somewhere with his life, and we just can't believe that he's gone," his aunt Sally Alvarez said.

Lawrence's son told the station his father, an accountant, decided to take a flight before the start of the busy tax season.

"Everybody's in shock. One day he's here, next day he's not," Brad Lawrence said.

Investigators said Sunday night they would have to open up the fuselage of the planes to ensure that there were no additional victims. NTSB investigators declined to comment on that effort Monday until news conference set for late afternoon.

One of the planes was a Cessna 172 registered to William A. Reinke of La Habra, according to aircraft databases. Reached at his home Sunday night, Reinke declined to comment.

The second plane, a Cessna 150, is registered to Air Corona Inc., based in Dover, Delaware. Many plane owners register their aircraft in Delaware even if they are not based there because of the state's low taxes.

[dsmith717]

IF Corona Airport has a right hand and left hand traffic pattern -- the wind direction could play a role in Pilot A selecting runway 36 while Pilot B selects runway 18. (In this example Corona Airport has runways 36 and 18 or Due North-Due South runways) The choice of runway usually always depends on wind direction unless there is zero wind. In this example the wind direction is interpretable such that either runway (36 or 18) is the correct runway. Pilot A measures the wind from near Due West (270 degrees) - which correctly allows a pilot to take off with a crosswind on either runway 36 or 18. Pilot A uses runway 36 which is a take off to Due North which has right hand traffic pattern. Pilot B approaching for landing decides to use runway 18 - and prepares to land heading South. Runway 36 with the right hand traffic pattern is a rule for that airport just as the rule is left hand traffic for runway 18. The decisions made by experienced pilots following the rules could allow for a dangerous event if Pilot A proceeds to the downwind leg heading South and Pilot B is in his downwind leg heading North. In this configuration, the pilots could be approaching a head-on midair collision. Of course, the best rule to exercise while flying is keep your eyes outside of the cockpit if possible especially around any airport patterns. Also remind anyone flying with you to keep an eye out just in case.

[logicanada]

NTSB investigates and publishes account of mall plane crashes.
NTSB is supressed from investigating and publishing any information of four passenger Jet airliners which result in deaths of thousands on 911-01.
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[yongamerica]

Little planes approaching each other at 200 mph or better in smog and haze. Good luck seeing traffic until it fills up your windshield. Been there. Talk all you want on the radio but that accident was far from the traffic pattern, planes are coming and going, it''s chaos. If either one had been taking to ATC and asked for traffic advisories, this collision could have been avoided. My call is this airport should absolutely have a control tower. Too bad that kind of money is bleeding in Iraq.

[chrisl45]

Sorry, I should have said "upwind" and not "down wind".

[chrisl45]

An outsider''s view (pre-student pilot) of what happened was the 2 planes checked the ground or map to determine if the wind dictated left or right turns from base leg to final leg to fly down wind. They didn''t scan their view in 10 degree increments (size of fist), or they had a blind spot.

[chrisl45]

I know this is off topic, but why don''t planes have side and rear mirrors!

[oldpilot954]

When you are operating an aircraft around an airport it is easy to miss other traffic. There are several reasons for this. One of the biggest is that you are concentrating on your position in relationship to the ground so that your mind is not looking for things that are near you. You also have to remember that in crowded airspace it is like a three dimensional parking lot with everyone heading to the same few spaces. There are procedures for arrival and departure that are designed to make it safe but the exact track over the ground is often up to the pilot''s judgement. It is very easy to expect someone at one place (like behind you) when they are actually at another (such as beside you or converging with you). Whatever the cause, it is a sad thing for the families of those involved. My heart goes out to you.

[lily1972]

thanks crzmeat

[mindydiu]

sorry his summary is wrong.. one plane had two certified pilots in it and the other had one.. but the one that was not a pilot was not a student either.. didnt want to learn to fly a plane.. there were no students on either plane.. get the facts before you comment

[mindydiu]

Scott Lawrence was the middle child of Gayle Lawrence and Marie Lawrence.. there were 7 of us.. I still cant believe he is gone.. he had a love of life and people.. a true hero in the way he lived... big brother you will be sorely missed... I love you