Five adults were tragically killed after a small powered plane crashed on Catalina Island in Los Angeles.
The Avalon Sheriff Station was notified of a 911 SOS emergency via mobile device Tuesday around 8:08 p.m. after a twin-engine Beechcraft 95 crashed shortly after taking off from Catalina Airport in Avalon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The mobile device used to report the emergency call “stated that the user’s cell phone was involved in a collision with possible injury and provided a location in the form of GPS coordinates,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Officers from the Avalon Station, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Avalon Search and Rescue and Avalon City Fire Department personnel all responded to the scene and found wreckage from the aircraft approximately one mile west of Catalina Island Airport.
In addition to the wreckage, authorities have also located the five victims who died in the crash. Their identities have not yet been released.
The Avalon Sheriff Station was notified of a 911 SOS emergency via mobile device Tuesday around 8:08 p.m. after a twin-engine Beechcraft 95 crashed shortly after taking off from Catalina Airport in Avalon
In addition to the wreckage, authorities have also located the five victims who died in the crash. Their identities have not yet been released. (photo: stock photo from Catalina Island)
Flight data showed that the plane took off that day around 5:45 p.m. According to the National Weather Service, there were no thick fog advisories in place at the time. CBS News reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA have taken over the investigation into the crash.
Jennifer Gabris, a spokesperson for the NTSB, told DailyMail.com: “An NTSB investigator is traveling to the scene and is expected to arrive later today.”
Once the investigator arrives, they begin processing the scene and examining the crashed plane.
‘Part of the investigation will involve requesting radar data, weather information, maintenance records and the pilot’s medical records. NTSB investigators will consider man, machine and environment as the focus of the investigation,” Gabris added.
The agency said a preliminary report is expected to be issued within 30 days of the incident, and a probable cause for the crash will be released within one to two years.
The NTSB, FAA and 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, were killed after a single-engine plane crashed in North Carolina.
Jason Campbell, 45, was one of five people killed when the doomed plane — a Cirrus SR22 — crashed Sept. 28 near the woods near Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport.
Flight data showed that the plane took off that day around 5:45 p.m. According to the National Weather Service, there were no heavy fog advisories in place at the time. (photo: Catalina Airport runway)
Campbell was a native of Lubbock and served as a commander in the Army Special Forces.
The three other adults have been identified as Shashwat Ajit Adhikari, 31, Kate McAllister Neely, 39, and Matthew Arthur Fassnacht, 44. The child has not been named.
The plane crashed about 90 miles south of Virginia Beach, Virginia KLJB news radio.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
The day after the crash, the Wright Brothers National Memorial was closed.