Five killed in plane crash on Catalina Island

All five people on a small plane that went down on Catalina Island Tuesday night were killed in the crash, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Omar Lewis reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News on Oct. 9, 2024.

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[weszuber]

No night landings there.. IFR -- this was a very bad decision by the pilot. Not to mention the fog is very common at night in that area.. terrible decision to attempt it.

[Frankya]

I also had 4 family friends who passed away in a small plane crash 19 years ago. I remember how tragic and devastating it was for us. My heart goes out to their families, I know what they’re going through 😞

[jonnylong]

I lost my brother a week ago in a crash, I know how the family feels, it's hard to deal with and I'm sorry for them

[Stories_I_Tell_Ya]

This is so sad 🥺 praying for the friends and families of the lives lost ❤

[blancolirio]

Good report Thanks.
ADM- Aeronautical Decision Making...

[BillBanyon]

I have landed there several times. I had to be signed off by an instructor in order to use that airstrip. It’s not level and gives you the feeling that you are going to run out of space. Not a great idea to fly there at that time of night. Especially with limited visibility. My heart goes out to the families that now have to deal with their loss.

[JayBobJayBob]

I have lived in coastal Southern California for 70 years and the last three days have been extremely hazy/foggy. I am surprised that there was no mention of this. every day, you can usually see Catalina from Pacific Coast either clearly or through light haze. The last two days fog don’t allow you to see much of the ocean at all much less Catalina.

[Hoekstes]

So much incorrect information in this report. The plane was not owned by the flight school anymore. It crashed after takeoff from the island at night. The flight path shown is from a previous flight. The weather was a factor and night operations are prohibited at the airport.

[austinado]

In another LA station news report, they used flight data that indicated the plane landed at 6:20pm, and then took off, moments before the cellphone triggered the SOS. If that info is true/correct, it would appear that they successfully flew to the airport, where there's a well-known restaurant, and crashed on departure.

[timduggan]

SO many "experts" here! The Baron was NOT landing, it had just departed.
Aviation Safety Network has details.
I'd surmise possible engine failure after takeoff, with attemted return to airport.
Looking at the METAR, ceiling was 800 feet overcast. Unless this pilot was instrument rated? Poor decision.

[nunabiz]

Did it run off the end of the runway? There's a serious drop off the cliff if they don't stop.
It's kind like landing on an aircraft carrier.

[Jon.......]

8:08pm? No night time operations are allowed at Avalon (repeated below). No reason to be out there at night, VFR or IFR.

[Yodar]

Just heard on the news, the plane landed safely at Catalina around 6:30pm, and left at 8pm to return to Santa Monica, crashed about 1 mile away after takeoff.

[cesargutierrez]

So sad . My condolences for the family.

[martingo]

Thank you for showing us a visual landing of the path.. and a map.

[michellejacobs]

Catalina is known for a very difficult runway on the island

[zanekaidevi]

if you're reporting, please make sure to understand the difference between on Catalina Island and in or from Avalon the town. It is called Catalina Airport and is not even close to Avalon.

[Honey-Sanchez]

That is heartbreaking. People learning to fly are some of the most positive people I know.

[melreslor]

First time I ever flew was from Long Beach to Catalina Island over 50 years ago. The plane landed in the sea not at an airport in the hills. Flight lasted about 12 minutes. The trip back was by boat, slow boat taking about two hours.

[TheGweedMan]

Sad to hear that five people lost their lives in this crash. However, I have never heard the Catalina Island Airport referred to as the Avalon Airport.