Pilot in deadly Catalina crash did not have clearance for takeoff, airport says

As new reporting emerges that the pilot in the deadly Catalina plane crash, which killed five people, did not have clearance to take off, officials with the medical examiner’s office have formally identified four of the victims.

The crash occurred on the evening of Oct. 8, shortly after the pilot of the Beechcraft 95 plane, who was reportedly helping two other pilots stranded on the island due to mechanical issues, took off from Catalina Airport.

According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, the four victims were identified as 73-year-old Ali Safai, the plane’s registered owner , 33-year-old Fullerton resident Haris Ali, 55-year-old Margaret Fenner and 34-year-old Gonzalo Lubel.

The identity of the fifth occupant, who is only described as a man in his 30s, is pending notification of next of kin.

Authorities have yet to confirm who was piloting the aircraft, though, in a statement from Proteus Flight School in response to the tragedy, officials indicated it was Safi who “volunteered to assist in retrieving the stranded occupants” after learning one of the flight school’s planes was stuck on the island.

Operating hours at Catalina Airport are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., though pilots are allowed to pre-arrange later arrivals and departures before sunset with airport management, according to reporting from The Orange County Register.

Carl True, the airport’s general manager, told The Register that the pilot had pre-arranged for a landing after 5 p.m. but had not made arrangements for takeoff and “was advised of that.”

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane went down in rough terrain shortly after takeoff about a mile west of Catalina Airport.

First responders with the Avalon Sheriff’s Station received an S.O.S. emergency notification from one of the passengers on the downed aircraft just after 8 p.m. Tuesday night, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The notification provided authorities with GPS coordinates, allowing deputies, firefighters and Avalon Search and Rescue personnel to respond to the location.

“When the deputies and the search and rescue and the fire guys all got there, they saw the tail of the plane down about 300 feet,” LASD Sgt. Grayson Kline said. “You couldn’t see it from the road.”

On Thursday, crews with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department visited the scene. The cause of the crash remained under investigation.

“The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates,” the FAA said in a statement.

Catalina Island Airport is primarily used for general aviation aircraft, including single-engine airplanes. Because of its elevation of 1,602 feet, it is known as the Airport in the Sky. It has a single, 3,000-foot runway.

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