A devastating aviation accident on the Catalina Islands in California resulted in the death of five individuals, including the 73-year-old aircraft owner and flight instructor, Ali Reza Safai. The twin-engine Beechcraft 95 aircraft crashed shortly after an unsanctioned takeoff from Catalina Airport near Avalon city at approximately 8 p.m. on Tuesday, as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Avalon Station was alerted to the incident by an SOS signal from one of the plane’s passengers. The five adult victims were located and pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The identities of the pilot and the other passengers are yet to be confirmed.
The crash’s cause is still under investigation. However, it has been confirmed by airport officials that the plane was not cleared for departure at the time of the incident. The airport, located about 1,600 feet above sea level, operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Pilots can arrive and depart outside these hours, but they must pre-arrange their trip with the airport.
The aircraft had touched down at the airport around 6:20 p.m. on the day of the crash. Carl True, the airport’s general manager, stated that the pilot had pre-arranged his arrival after 5 p.m., but not the departure. The airport does not allow flights after sunset due to insufficient lighting on its 3,000-foot runway.
Despite the lack of clearance for the takeoff, the action was not considered illegal. The other passengers on the plane were identified as Haris Ali, 33, and Margaret Mary Fenner, 55. The remaining two victims, both men in their 30s, are yet to be identified pending family notification.
Images of the wreckage released by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office’s Special Enforcement Bureau showed the severely damaged plane on the side of a hill, with the tail section detached. The tail of the plane was found about 300 feet from the crash site, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Grayson Kline.
Safai was a flight instructor at Santa Monica Airport and ran Santa Monica Aviation until its closure in 2018. His plane was housed at the airport, but it is still unknown if he was piloting the aircraft at the time of the crash. Proteus Flight school, another business at Santa Monica airport, revealed that Safai had volunteered to assist Proteus members who were stranded on the island due to mechanical issues.